Complicated Situations
by JustADreamer24
Summary: Part of the Annabeth world! Something terrible happens to Annabeth and Steve is desperate to help her. Danny will be there to show support as well as complicated situations start developing for all of them. WARNING: explicit. There'll be bromance, brother-sister angst, hurt/comfort and mature contents. It's interesting if not a little out of the ordinary. Better explained inside!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there to all my readers! For those of you reading a story of mine for the first time, a little explanation is in order to be able to understand this story.**

 **In my previous story called "Unexpected Events" (which is not finished yet) I introduce an OC character named Annabeth and she is Steve's little sister. They didn't know each other until a few years before the timeline of the show started. I explain better in that other story how they met. What you need to know to read this one is that she is actively a part of Five-0 since she was a spy from a very early age and I think this might actually take place sometime between season two and three.**

 **Fair warning: this story is INTENSE. It involves severe mature content and really "Complicated Situations" for our main characters. If you're not into this type of story you might as well stop reading now. I'll be safer to go check out the previous one (which I PROMISE to update soon). I just needed a place to empty the crazy things my imagination sometimes conjures and what better place to do it than here?**

 **That being said, I'd appreciate your comments and thought about this.**

 **This first chapter is really short but, don't worry, I'll post the second one right away! It's already written!**

 **Anyway…. I really hope you guys like it. Enjoy!**

To say that she was hurting was the understatement of the year.

If someone had told her that morning that by the end of the day she was going to be on the bathroom floor of some random bar puking her soul out in the toilet and weaker that a leaf on the wildest of storms, she would have laughed at the guy's face.

Now, though, she was struggling to remain conscious trying to regain the necessary strength to get up from the floor. She needed to find a phone quickly. She needed to call Steve.

It's not like she didn't know where she was. She knew exactly what bar she was in. she had gone there on purpose after all. It was her birthday… her real birthday at that, and she was feeling extremely homesick. She needed a few hours away from the team, away from the house and from Steve to kind of honor her true self and just dedicate a couple of hours to pretend like she was back home and not in another world completely.

She had told Steve that she was going out that night, but she hadn't said where (not that she knew herself at that moment). She hadn't even dressed up to the occasion she was celebrating. She had just taken a few bucks and went to a part of the island she had never visited before. It wasn't a place either of the guys frequented either because that was the sole purpose of the night out. To get away from it all. She hadn't even grabbed her phone.

How she wishes she had her phone now.

Finally gathering enough strength to get up, she slowly did, using the wall for support and wincing when the pain between her legs became fully known. The man that had done this to her had been merciless and she had to concentrate on slowing down her breathing because just thinking of him made her heart beat faster in fear.

Yeah, she was scared. She was scared more so than she was embarrassed, and she was embarrassed not only for being stupid enough to get herself drugged without noticing, but because she actually was terrified of the man that had assaulted her. She was even scared to go out of the bathroom, even when she knew the guy was no longer in the bar at all.

She was starting to tremble from the effort of being standing and she needed to find a phone so she could call Steve as soon as possible. Any minute now and she wouldn't be able to move.

Somehow she made her way out of the bathroom. The place was almost deserted and she wondered again how nobody had noticed what happened in the bathroom while it was happening. It was a unisex bathroom and they were in a bar for crying out loud! But, for some reason, no one had felt the need to go even after all the drinks they were getting. Just her luck. Maybe Danny was right. Maybe being a McGarrett just simply meant having the luck of the devil.

Speaking of McGarrett, she needed to call him. Now.

She made the rest of the way to the bartender and begged to use a phone. She must have looked disheveled and pitiful, because the guy let her use his phone without much argument. She had a little trouble dialing the number correctly, but in the end, she managed it. He answered on the first ring.

 **There you have it! You can guess what happened to her right? Don't hate me please! Any comments? Thank you!**

 **I really hope this captures your attention!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2! Thank you so much to those of you who took a few minutes of your time to review this! Stephanie and Aquababy58 you rock! Texas50Fan I'm glad you favorited this story! I hope to read a comment from you soon!**

 **Aquababy58: Steve is so definitely gonna go nuts about this, I just love and angsty Steve! I know you don't like what happens to Annabeth in this story but, bear with me, pretty pretty please? Also, your reviews are ALWAYS the highlight of my days!**

 **P/S: I really don't know anything about Hawaii so any names, addresses or places are totally invented!**

Steve hadn't been worried. Not really. He was just mildly concerned when the clock read 11:00 p.m. and Annabeth still hadn't returned home. He knew she had said she was going out tonight. He even had offered to go with her, not because she wasn't perfectly capable of looking after herself, but because he really had wanted to spend some time with her away from work. She was his little sister but they acted more like friends. He wasn't overprotective (well, not much) but he had thought maybe she would like the company. But she had refused. Maybe she really wanted to spend some time alone, or maybe she was going out with somebody and didn't want to tell him. That was okay. He didn't mind.

He had just begun to get a bit concerned when he noticed that she had left her phone at home. She wasn't one to forget her phone like that but, it could happen to anybody right?

When the clock reached 11:00 p.m. he had started getting a little restless. She hadn't come home yet. He even considered calling Danny but to say what? _Hi Danny, I'm just calling because it's almost midnight and my little sister, who can kick the ass of ten well trained men at the same time, hasn't come back from a night out_? Yeah, he could picture that conversation going well.

So he decided to just wait. He tried reading a book (something he normally wouldn't do). When that didn't work he grabbed a bite from the fridge and then sat down on the couch to try and watch some TV. Let's say it wasn't a surprise when he jumped for his phone when it started ringing and he answered it in a heartbeat.

\- McGarrett – he said. He could hear heavy breathing from the other side of the line, but whoever was calling him took their time to answer back.

\- Steve… - he finally heard, and his heart stopped all of the sudden. It was Annabeth but something wasn't right.

\- Annabeth? Are you okay? Where are you?

\- I'm… I… I need help – Steve was already out the door with his car keys at hand. Her words sounded slurred and weak. He was having trouble hearing her at all.

\- Anna, are you hurt? Where are you? I'm on my way.

\- A bar – she answered – I think it's on… - she trailed off and Steve could hear her asking where she was. After a few seconds she told him – a bar in Waimanola – _Waimanola? What the hell was she doing all the way there_?

\- Okay, can you tell me exactly where in Waimanola? – he was getting agitated. _What the hell had happened_?

\- Mmm…I don't… I don't know just, come get me? Please – she pleaded. His heart was bursting out of his chest by now.

\- Of course! I'm on my way! Are you safe? Who are you talking to? – he asked.

\- Bartender – she was breathing heavier now.

\- Can you put him on the phone? – she didn't answer but he could hear the phone switching hands.

\- Hello? – the bartender asked.

\- Who are you? What happened to her? – now he was using his commander voice.

\- I'm the bar owner. Your friend doesn't look too good. I was actually thinking about calling the cops after she used the phone.

\- No need. I'm the cops – Steve said matter of factly – what happened to her?

\- I really don't know. She just came out of the bathroom looking barely able to stand asking for a phone. I think she might be drunk – _drunk? Annabeth doesn't get drunk, she doesn't even drink_! – Listen to me I'm on my way there, if anything happens to her I'm holding you responsible. Now, where exactly is this bar? – the guy gave him the address and he pressed on the accelerator, he was still too far – put her back on the phone – the bartender did as ordered – Annabeth? Are you there?

\- Yes – she whispered.

\- I'm on my way okay? I'll be there soon. Do not leave the bar, just stay on the phone.

\- I feel sick. I think I'm gonna… - she trailed off.

\- Annabeth?!

But she didn't answer anymore. The phone went dead and his heart followed soon after.

He couldn't get to his sister fast enough. She needed help and he needed to get there as soon as possible.

 **Did you like it? Please let me know what you think! Next chapter will be up sooner than you think and also will contain a few intense images…**

 **I hope to hear from you guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**And I just couldn't resist it, I needed to post this right away. I'm dying to know what you guys think of this. This is my very first attempt at writing mature content EVER so I hope it's okay.**

 **Aquababy58: your words also mean the world to me. I posted this third chapter right now just because I want to know what you think about it. Although I have to warn you: you may freak out a little with what is described next.**

 **All that being said… Enjoy!**

Annabeth found herself in the bathroom again. The short walk to use a phone had drained her of what little energy she had managed to gather and she could feel herself loosening her grip on reality.

Whatever drug he had given her had worked like a charm. At first she hadn't think anything was wrong. Just after she drank half her diet coke, an overwhelming need to pee came and she had to almost run to the bathroom. The sensation was so uncomfortable that she hadn't noticed a man was following her. Gosh she even had lowered her pants by herself to be able to use the toilet and that's when he came at her. He took her by surprise, crashing into her and crushing her under his weight into the side door of the cubicle. The second effect of the drug was that she couldn't fight back.

In a matter of minutes she didn't have any strength in her body to fight off his attacker. She had tried to hit him in the face, but her arms felt like lead. She had tried to knee him in the groin, but her legs gave out. She would have fallen to the floor if that man hadn't kept her somewhat upright. She had tried calling for help when she felt the man's hand reaching to get her panty out of the way, but her voice wouldn't work, she was even starting to have trouble breathing. Her heart was beating a mile per hour and she was starting to get desperate. She fought with all she had to keep her legs closed; making the man hurt her to get them open. In the end she couldn't help it, she just was too weak.

The guy struggled a little to get his own pants off, that's when he used one hand to hold her by the throat and the other to undo the buttons of his pants and to lower them enough so that his manhood was visible under his boxers, which followed his pants soon after. Annabeth glanced down and saw what awaited her and she couldn't hold the tears that escaped her eyes. It was going to happen.

The man was big and he started rubbing himself to get even harder. She was really fighting now to get away from him. She used the adrenalin that fear had provided her with to try and push him off of her, but nothing seemed to work. Her neck was aching from the hold he had on her and her lungs were screaming for air. So instead of trying to get him off, she concentrated on keeping her legs closed, she couldn't let him do this to her. But that hadn't worked either.

The man used his free hand and right knee to pry open her legs, also lowering her panty all the way to the floor, where her pants were. Then he had taken his cock and guided himself to her entrance. She could feel herself closing, it was a natural reaction to what was about to happen and she knew that only made the experience that much painful.

He had stood there, about to enter her for a few seconds, as if enjoying the wait and, suddenly, without warning, he pushed all the way in and her world exploded in pain.

He was just too big and she was too tight. No lubrication at all and the friction burned her insides. The man had no mercy and he just pounded her harder and harder.

\- You like this bitch? – he had asked. She was focusing on breathing now that his other hand wasn't squeezing her throat. Instead he put his forearm across her chest to hold her in place against the wall. She looked away when his face came closer and he whispered on her ear – I'm gonna make you like it…

And he brought one of his hands to her entrance and started rubbing. After a couple of minutes doing this, she started feeling different. The constant pounding didn't burn so much and every time his hand rubbed her in the right place, a little butterfly appeared on her lower belly. She knew what was happening but she didn't want to acknowledge it.

She had tried. With everything that she had, she had tried but her body was weak, the drug had just left her spent and, in the end, she couldn't avoid it. She came. Her breathing became erratical, she had to grab him by the shoulders so she wouldn't fall down, and she let out a single low and pitiful moan. Her insides contracted and she gasped. That's when he came inside her too.

They stayed like that, without moving while their breathing got under control. Well, his breathing, because she was pretty sure that hers would never be normal again. During that time she turned her head towards him to look at him for the first time and she saw that the man was wearing a mask. How she hadn't noticed before was beyond her. She assumed it had been the drugs. Either way, he hadn't stayed too long after that.

He had come out of her, making her jump a little because of the motion and whispered in her ear one last time.

\- Until next time doll – and he had left, leaving her to slide to the floor trying to catch her breath.

After what felt like an hour, she managed to get dressed again and she was about to stand up, but that's when the vomiting had started.

And, after everything, that's where she was right now. Holding herself up with the seat of the toilet and dry heaving because she didn't have anything else to get out. Her head was pounding, her chest hurt with the effort of breathing, her legs were trembling and her inside burned. She just hoped her brother would get there soon. She didn't know how much time she would be able to stay awake.

 **Gosh I'm so nervous to hear your thoughts! Did you like the chapter? Was it too much? Thank you so much for reading this!**

 **Until next chapter! (which might as well be posted today… maybe…if I get reviews… muaahahaha)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Finally here's what you've been expecting… Steve finding Annabeth! This promises to be angsty for him right?**

 **Aquababy58: thank you as always for your truthful comments!**

 **Stephanie: I'm liking your reviews more and more each time! Hahaha Thank you so much!**

 **Well, I hope this meets everyone's expectations! Here it goes!**

Steve reached the bar a little after 12.30 a.m. and he parked right at the front door. He stormed inside and went straight to the bartender, looking around for Annabeth and assessing everyone else. It was a Tuesday night, so not much activity at that hour. In fact, there were only a couple of men drinking some beer and the bartender who was starting to clean everything up to close the place. When the bartender looked up to see him coming in, he knew he was the man he had spoken with on the phone. The cop.

He looked scary. He was big, muscular and downright angry. He came to stand directly in front of him.

\- Where is she? – he barked.

\- Bathroom – he answered.

And Steve all but ran inside. What he found left him almost speechless.

Annabeth was on one of the cubicles holding herself half up with her arms on the toilet seat supporting her weight. She was dry heaving and she was trembling.

\- Annabeth! – he exclaimed and came closer to her to grab her from behind and help her stand up but as soon as he made contact with her, she gasped and swirled around, almost falling due to the movement and making him put his arms around her preventing her from falling down. She squealed and tried to fight him off – Hey! Hey! It's okay! It's me! It's Steve. I'm here – it took a couple of seconds for her to recognize him and, when she did, she just collapsed into him, letting him hold all her weight.

\- Steve… - she whispered – Steve… – she sobbed.

\- Anna what happened? – he asked, he was seriously worried now.

\- Out… get me out – she was starting to faint and her words came out more slurred than ever – out of here.

\- Okay, okay. We're leaving. I'm taking you home – he could tell that she couldn't walk even if she wanted to, so he put an arm under her knees and picked her up, keeping her close to his chest. If he hadn't seen it maybe he wouldn't have believed it. Annabeth did look drunk. She was weak, almost unable to speak, she couldn't stand and she had obviously been vomiting. It worried him to no end thinking that she had gotten herself like that over something he didn't know about. She had never lost control like this before. They were half way out of the bar when she suddenly whispered.

\- No. Not home… hospital.

\- What? – he asked in disbelief – are you hurt?

\- Please, hospital… please.

Something was definitely wrong here, apart from the obvious. Annabeth hated hospitals. She would never voluntarily ask to be taken to one. Then again, she would never voluntarily get herself drunk. Now he was definitely calling Danny.

After getting her on the passenger seat and putting her seatbelt on, Steve walked around the truck while fishing his phone out of his pocket. He dialed his partner's number and waited. Starting the engine and making his way back into town. After a few rings, the call was answered.

\- This better be good or I'll… - came the sleepy and angry voice of his partner but he didn't let him finish the threat.

\- Danny! I need you to meet me at the hospital. Something happened to Annabeth.

\- What!? – came the shocky reply – what happened? What hospital? – he could hear his partner getting out of bed.

\- At Queens. I'm not sure what happened. She's not responding very well. I'm 20 minutes out. See you there.

\- Okay. See you – responded Danny and he hung up.

Steve glanced at Annabeth and he could see that she had fallen asleep or passed out. Either way, she wasn't responding to him calling her name. He pressed into the accelerator, resisting the urge to switch the sirens on. There wasn't any one on the roads at this hour. It just bugged him that they were too far away. Waimanola was so far away from the hospital that Danny would get there before them. Not for the first time in the last hour did Steve wonder what had Annabeth been doing so far from home.

 **So? Was it good? Was it what you expected?**

 **I just wanna say that I'm incredibly happy to be writing this story! My muse is totally on fire!**

 **That being said, I promise soon I'll update my other story Unexpected Events, for those of you reading that as well!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright! Here's chapter 5! Now we finally get to actually see Danny. He couldn't be left out of this! In my head, if Danny and Steve are like brothers, then Annabeth is also like a little sister to Danny and since they are a three way partnership at Five-0, it's only logical that they are really close too.**

 **I'm so happy with the response this story is getting! I just want to thank you all again!**

 **Okay, I'll shut up now…. On with the show!**

Finally, after 15 minutes of fast driving, he came closer to the hospital and went straight to the ER entrance. He could see Danny waiting just outside the door and when he noticed the truck he came running to meet them.

\- Steve! What's going on? – Danny asked while he came closer. Steve was already out the door and opening Annabeth's side, gently picking her up and making his way into the ER.

\- She called from a bar in Waimanola. She sounded off. Asked me to pick her up. The bartender said she was drunk, when I got to her she was throwing up in the bathroom. She was too weak to stand up. She wanted to come to the hospital – he finished explaining at the same time they entered the hospital and asked for help. Instantly, two nurses came by with a stretcher. Annabeth had woken up by all the movement around her and she became aware enough to notice Steve setting her as gently as possible on a stretcher but she grabbed his hand before he could let go completely. An overwhelming sense of fear came crashing hard on her and she started hyperventilating. She didn't want to be away from him. Somehow she felt like if she let go of his hand, she would be in danger again. Steve saw the panic written all over her face and wrapped her hand in his.

\- Sir, we need you to let go. We need to take her inside – said one of the nurses.

\- Annabeth – he started – they need to look at you to see what's wrong. I'm not going anywhere, I'll be right here waiting to see you alright?

\- But… no… - she was starting to sob and his heart was breaking in a million pieces. The only other time he had seen her this scared was when he first met her.

\- Shh it's okay. You're going to be okay. Just let the doctors take a look at you and then I'll be with you okay? – she didn't answer. She just closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks and she let go of his hand. When they couldn't see her anymore beyond the doors, Steve turned to his partner looking for an anchor because he was pretty sure he was suffering from heartbreak at that exact moment.

\- Steve, are you okay? – Danny could see the look on his partner. He was speechless and he looked scared. Hell, he was scared after what he had seen. What could have happened to Annabeth to make her act like that? It didn't seem like a simple drunk case. She doesn't even drink!

\- I don't know what happened. She said she was going out. Didn't tell me where, wanted to go alone. Next thing I know she calls and I find her in that state. I don't know – suddenly he looked at the exit as if remembering something – I have to park the truck.

\- It's okay, I'll do it. Just wait here. I'll be back in a sec – Danny said – and sit down you big goof before you fall face first to the floor.

And Danny was out the door on his way to park the truck. He could tell that Steve was pretty shaken up and he needed to be there for him, so he made the task quickly so he could go back to the ER.

When he came back, his partner was sitting in the same spot he had left him on and he came closer.

\- Any news?

\- Not yet. I filled in the paperwork but nobody's told me anything yet.

\- Alright then. We'll just have to wait – and he sat down next to his partner.

Steve was thankful to have Danny there with him. He needed someone to keep a somewhat composed face against what was happening, and not because he thought Danny didn't care about Annabeth or wasn't worried out of his mind about her, but because he sure as hell was out of it.

Again he remembered the only other time he had seen Annabeth this scared and agitated. It had been the first time they'd met, when he had rescued her from that crazy Sho Wun and Alex had just been killed. He didn't even want to imagine what could have happened that night that had been so bad as to get her in that state.

It was near 3:00 a.m. when a doctor finally came out the door looking for them.

\- Family of Annabeth Johnson? – she asked the small number of people in the waiting area.

\- That's us! – Steve and Danny all but jumped to their feet – is she okay? Can we see her? – asked Steve.

\- I'm sorry, may I ask your direct relationship with my patient? – the doctor asked, suspicious because the two men were so different from one another that they couldn't be both related to the girl.

\- I'm her brother – answered Steve – this is my partner. We're Five-0.

\- Oh! I see. Maybe we could talk in my office, Mr….?

\- McGarrett.

\- Right, come this way please – when she saw both men following her, she stopped – I'm sorry but I can only discuss my patient's status with direct family members.

\- What? – asked Danny.

\- It's okay for Danny to know. We're practically family – said Steve.

\- It's the rule when it comes to cases like this. I'm sorry but I can only speak to Mr. McGarrett for the moment. If he wishes to inform you afterwards that's his decision – Danny just sighted.

\- All right. I'll wait here – he exchanged a look with his partner to let him know that it was okay. They just needed to know what was going on with Annabeth sooner rather than later.

 **I wasn't sure where to cut this chapter off. So I just kind of went for it separating this scene from the one where the doctor tells Steve what happened to Annabeth. I am so excited to post that already! Anyway, I apologize if this chapter ended kind of in the middle of nowhere! Next chapter: angst, angst and… wait for it… angst!**

 **See yah!**


	6. Chapter 6

**OMG! Aquababy58 and Stephanie: you are my two favorite people in the whole world right now! Your reviews are so great! I just want you guys to know that I wait specifically for your reviews before this crazy urge to post hits me like a speeding car.**

 **Stephanie: I'm so happy that my writing is like watching mini videos for you. As a writer, that's something I always try to inflict in my stories. I also like exploring Steve's human side. I love the fact that he is a strong character and maybe that's why writing angst for him is so fun for me. I don't know…I just like it!**

 **Aquababy58: the part where she doesn't want to let go of his hand is my favorite part of that chapter. There is definitely a very strong bond between them and maybe that has something to do with me always wanting to have an older brother who could protect me and care for me like Steve does with Annabeth even though she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. That's why I love writing about them so much!**

 **Soo… this is another part you have been waiting for: when Steve finds out what really happened. Let's hope this doesn't disappoint you!**

 **p/s: the medical stuff explained here is also kind of made up, so the name of the drug mentioned doesn't really exist. Well, i don't know actually. I just made it up when i was writing.**

 **Enjoy!**

Steve followed the doctor into a small office where he was made to sit down in front of a desk. The doctor had a serious look on her face and it was starting to get on his nerves.

\- Can you tell me how she is? – he couldn't hold back anymore.

\- She's okay – the doctor answered – considering.

\- Considering what? – asked Steve.

\- Listen there is no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna start with the basics. We ran a blood test to see the level of alcohol in her blood, but It came out negative. She hasn't ingested any type of alcohol in the last 24 hours.

\- Then why was she acting like that? All weak and unstable?

\- We did find, however, a really high dose of a substance called Trimetrafin – the doctor took a breath before continuing. It was never easy to tell someone this – there was also extensive bruising on her inner thighs, along with some mild ones to her neck – at this point, Steve had already closed his eyes with a feeling of defeat settling deep inside him. He knew what was coming – under closer inspection we found evidence of penetration and body fluids. I'm really sorry to say this, but your sister has been sexually abused – there it was. Final confirmation.

\- Who? – was all he was able to ask after opening his eyes.

\- We can't have the answer for that unless we perform the necessary evaluations. We need to do a raping kit to gather evidence so that they can be sent to the police.

\- Why haven't you done it yet? We will investigate this case ourselves and I would appreciate if you could give me the evidence as soon as possible.

\- We haven't done it because we need the patient's permission to perform this evaluation. She also needs to decide whether she wants an investigation on her case or not. Right now, we haven't been able to ask her because she passed out soon after we got her in the examination room. We weren't able to address her inner injuries because we first need to know if she will want the evidence collected or not. Right now she's on a heavy dose of fluids to flush the drugs out of her system as soon as possible. Once she wakes up, we'll be able to ask her.

\- Can I see her?

\- Of course. She's being settled in a room right upstairs and you can come and go as you like. She is currently out of any immediate danger.

\- Okay – said Steve and he got up from the chair – thank you – and he made his way to the door.

\- Mr. McGarrett? – asked the doctor before he could leave – I understand that this is difficult for you, but she's going to need all the support she can get. And I think it will be better if you were the one to ask for her permission to perform the evaluation.

\- Right – came the curtly reply. He just needed to get out of there and catch his breath.

When he came back to the waiting area he didn't even waited for Danny before heading to the door and exiting the hospital; the cool air of the night hitting him on the face and helping somewhat clear his mind. He couldn't believe what was happening.

Danny of course had seen his partner all but run out of the hospital and he followed him soon after. Whatever the doctor had told him made him look pale and ready to throw up himself. Let's say it made Danny a little nervous to find out what had happened.

\- Steve, what did the doctor say? Is she going to be alright? Do you know what happened to her? – he came closer to his partner and sat down next to him. Steve had sat down on the sidewalk across from the ER entrance and was holding his head in his hands.

\- Doctor said she was drugged. Probably something she drank at the bar… - he trailed off for a few seconds, not sure how his partner would react to the news – she… she was raped Danny. Annabeth was raped – shock, confusion, anger, hurt. These are just a few of the feelings running through Danny's veins at learning what had happened to Annabeth.

\- Jesus! How could this happen?

\- I don't know but we need to find the son of a bitch who did this – muttered Steve.

\- Alright, so do we have any evidence? – asked Danny. His detective brain already running through the usual procedures.

\- Not yet. They need Annabeth's permission to run the tests and collect the evidence. They're settling her into a room and waiting for her to wake up – he ran a hand up and down his face – I need to talk to her. I'm the one who has to ask her if she wants this to be investigated or not – Danny put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

\- We'll be there for her every step of the way. She's strong. You know that – said Danny, trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince Steve.

\- Yeah.

\- You should go inside then. Go be with her. Maybe I'll head down to the office and start investigating either way? – Danny asked – maybe see if she was followed after leaving work or the house last night. Try to determine if this was a random attack or if she was targeted.

\- Okay. You're right. We'll investigate this no matter what. You go do that and I'll try to get her to accept the evaluation – they both got up from the floor.

\- What are we going to tell Chin and Kono?

\- Nothing yet. I'll ask Annabeth first.

\- Alright. Call me when you know something and let me know how she's doing.

\- Okay – said Steve and they parted ways. Danny went to the parking lot to retrieve his car and Steve went back inside the hospital to look for the room Annabeth must have been already settled in. This was going to be a long night.

 **And, how was it? Did it meet your expectations?**

 **I think I'm gonna leave It here for today. Tomorrow I'll post chapter 7 which is already halfway written, so I'll dedicate myself the rest of the night and maybe half day tomorrow to finish it and post it so you can read it.**

 **I look forward to reading your reviews! The really do make the happiest person in the world!**

 **Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**As promised… another day, another chapter!**

 **Aquababy58: you are right; the next few chapters are going to be pretty emotional! Thank you for always taking the time to leave such wonderful reviews!**

 **Texas50Fan: thank you so much for reviewing! I was so glad to hear what you think! I'm happy that you like the way I describe the relationship between Steve and Annabeth. I just love writing about them so much!**

 **Stephanie: as always, thank you for your words! I really hope this story becomes addictive enough for you! :D**

 **And here it is… Enjoy!**

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Steve sitting on a chair to her left. He had his eyes closed but she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. She glanced around the room and saw the door to her right, a small TV on the opposite wall and a door next to the window which she supposed led to the bathroom.

She took a couple of breaths and tried to recall what had happened the night before. She was still feeling weak from the drugs and her throat felt dry. When she tried to move to get into a more comfortable position, an intense burning sensation came from the inside of her legs and she couldn't suppress the moan that escaped her lips. At that, Steve opened his eyes and bolted from the chair to the side of the bed.

\- Hey! You're awake! How are you feeling? – she looked at him and could see the concern written all over his face. She found his hand near hers and took it, needing the contact as she remembered everything that had happened to her. Her breathing was becoming agitated and her eyes were starting to glass over – calm down – said Steve, holding her hand with as much force as she was holding his – you're safe now.

\- I'm sorry – she said.

\- What are you talking about? You have nothing to be sorry for.

\- I let myself get drugged; I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. I … - a couple of tears escaped her eyes and he gently wiped them.

\- So, you remember what happened? – he asked, almost afraid to know the answer. When she nodded he closed his eyes for a second.

\- Do you know? – she asked.

\- Yeah. The doctor told me – she looked away from him and focused her gaze on the ceiling – listen, you have nothing to be sorry about and there's no shame in what happened to you. Look at me – he said, when she had refused to look him back – this wasn't your fault.

\- This shouldn't have happened to me! – she whispered harshly, wiping her tears away with her free hand rather hard – I'm trained to avoid situations like this, I can fight whoever comes at me but I just couldn't move!

\- It's okay. Calm down. You were drugged Anna, there's nothing you could have done to fight him off and I promise you we're gonna catch the son of a bitch who did this to you – Steve didn't know exactly what to say, he was swimming into uncharted waters here. After that he could only hold Annabeth's hand while she got herself under control. After a few minutes, he had to ask – Annabeth, to catch the man who did this the doctors need to perform a test to collect evidence but they need your permission first.

\- A raping kit – she cut him off – I know – Steve swallowed.

\- Will you do it? – he asked. She thought that for a moment. She thought it could be easier to forget and move on from what had happened if she just let it at that. But then she remembered the last words the man had told her and she actually shivered. She started getting agitated again and she tried to sit up, wincing when the burning came back on – Annabeth, what's wrong? Are you in pain?

\- Why does it burn so much? – she complained while finally sitting up in bed. Steve adjusted the bed so she could rest there but still being in a sitting position.

\- The doctor said they couldn't heal you if they didn't know your decision. Will you do it? – she looked him in the eyes then. She could see he wanted her to agree to the raping kit because he wanted the evidence to track her attacker. A part of her wanted to say yes but the other part, the one hurt and ashamed wanted to just pretend like nothing had happened and move on. She closed her eyes for a moment and pictured again the man's face (well, mask) close to her ear whispering and she knew she would never rest assured until the guy was caught.

\- He said he'd be back – she whispered almost inaudibly.

\- What? – Steve asked.

\- Right before he left he said " _Until next time…doll_ " – she almost spat. Steve felt like punching a wall – we need to catch him before he comes back for me or goes out for someone else.

\- I'll call the doctor then. We'll catch him. I promise.

And with that, he left for a couple of minutes to go find her doctor and tell her that she wanted to do the tests.

 **I know this one's a shorty but I wanted to leave the actual raping kit scene for another chapter! Which hopefully I'll be able to update later today!**

 **As always, I look forward to reading your reviews!**

 **Until later!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I couldn't wait any longer! I needed to post this right away! This is a heartbreaking chapter that I'm sure you, Aquababy58, of all people will absolutely like! I really hope this meets everyone else's expectations and I hope to hear what you guys think of it! Thank you again so much for always leaving such kind reviews that, as you can see, sent me on a writing frenzy until I just can't stop and finish posting sooner than anticipated! I love you guys!**

They took her back to an examination room where one of those gynecologist chairs was waiting for her. She was made to sit there while the doctor turned to ask her.

\- You can do this alone or you can have him here if you want – she said, referring to Steve. Annabeth looked at him and pictured herself being examined without him there. Somehow, she didn't think she could stand it being away from him at that moment. She just felt so vulnerable still.

\- Would you mind? – she asked him in a small voice – could you stay? – he wasn't sure if he actually wanted to stay or not, but seeing the fear on her face made him come closer and grab her hand again.

\- Of course.

After that, the doctor helped her get her legs on the right place and pulled a small curtain at the bottom of her stomach. That way, neither Annabeth nor Steve could see what she would do, but they could still see her face.

Steve sat down in a chair facing Annabeth while holding her hand and she just lay there motionless looking straight ahead.

\- This may actually hurt a bit because there is some damage we haven't been able to repair – the doctor started – I'm going to collect as much evidence as I can, any pubic hairs or semen, and once I've bagged everything I'll start cleaning you up. Do you understand what I'm about to do? – she was obligated to ask.

\- Yes – Annabeth answered, still looking at the wall.

\- Alright then.

When she felt the first cotton tip enter her, she held on to Steve's hand tighter, but otherwise she remained still and silent. So far, the examination wasn't so much painful as it was uncomfortable or embarrassing.

This went on for a good 15 minutes. The doctor collected samples of the body fluids still inside her and picked up every loose pubic hair. After she was done with that, she explained what the healing part consisted on.

\- I'm done collecting samples. The bags will be classified and then they'll be ready to use as evidence. How are you holding up? – she asked Annabeth.

\- Okay – she answered.

\- Now, this next part is actually gonna be quite uncomfortable. Due the blood that's already dried, I'm gonna have to use some serum and a cotton ball to rub the inside of your vagina. Then I'll have to apply an antibiotic to help the wounds heal faster and you may experience a burning sensation while I'm doing all of this. Just let me know if the pain gets too intense and I'll stop for a minute, okay?

\- Yeah – Annabeth whispered. She really wasn't looking forward for this part.

The moment the doctor started rubbing the dried blood, her whole body tensed and a wave of pain hit her full force. It felt like someone was playing with fire inside her vagina and she had to bite her lower lip to keep herself from yelling. She clunged to Steve's hand like it was a lifeline and her breathing started to get a little too worked up.

The tears started coming when the doctor reached the deepest spot inside of her and this time she couldn't help the moan that signaled she was really in pain.

\- Annabeth. Hey! Look at me! – said Steve, who had been battling himself against the pain it caused him to see his sister like this – It'll soon be over. Just hang on a few more minutes.

She looked him in the eyes and squeezed his hand tighter while trying to get her breathing under control. He used his free hand to cup her cheek and wipe at the tears still running from her eyes. She shut her eyes suddenly when she felt a cold liquid being pushed inside her and then an ointment being spread all over. She arched her back just a little bit when the burning became almost too much to bear. She was actually going to ask for the doctor to stop when she announced that she was done.

\- That's it. You did very good Annabeth. We'll take you back to your room now so you can rest.

She didn't say anything back at her. She just closed her eyes letting herself be transferred back to her room. Once in it, she was offered a glass of water and she drank it greedily. Of course, Steve was in the chair to her left.

\- How are you feeling? – he asked.

\- Tired – she answered.

\- Well, you can go back to sleep now. It's almost morning and the doctor said you're clear to head home as soon as the last bag of fluids is empty. There are no more drugs in your system either.

\- Will you stay? – she asked, already closing her eyes.

\- Of course. I'm not going anywhere. Go to sleep, you're safe here.

 **And there you have it… of course Steve was going to stay with her during the raping kit. It was the PERFECT opportunity to write something really angsty for both of them. So, did you like it? I know I loved writing it!**

 **Now, I'm beginning to find myself in a kind of crossroad here. I have two possible ways this story might continue. One of them is terribly angsty and it actually involves the truly "Complicated Situations" after which the title was chosen. One of the pros of this option, is that I've already started writing it because I just needed to get it out of my head. The other option, though, is kind of safer in the angsty and hurt/comfort department although it probably wouldn't be as heartbreaking as the first option.**

 **So, I need your help people! Which one should I keep writing?**

 **Option 1: angsty, heartbreaking, uncommon, controversial, already started and possibly filled with more mature content.**

 **Option 2: safer, kind of expected, less intriguing but maybe with less risk of you hating me at the end of it… plus, I'd have to wrack my brains to start writing now.**

 **Anyway, I'd like to know you're opinion and I really really hope it matches mine!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much for your honest thoughts Aquababy58, I also think Option 1 will be way more interesting than option 2! Either way, I'm still waiting to hear from Stephanie and maybe Texas50Fan. You have all been so kind with your reviews that I really value your opinions as well. I just couldn't wait to hear from you before posting this new chapter! I must admit: I'm addicted to this story!**

 **Now, this chapter will shed some light into Annabeth's past. There are really microscopic references as to when Steve met her but is not much more than what has already been said in the previous story where I introduce her for the first time. I know I never explain much where she comes from or how she ended up as a part of the team, but I've been playing with the idea of writing other fanfics, maybe just some short ones, with scenes of when all those important events took place. They meeting, finding out they were related, etc. Let me know what you think of that idea!**

 **Here's next chapter!**

Once she was asleep, Steve used the time to send a text message to his partner telling him that the tests were done and they had the evidence. Danny responded that he was going to finish going through the few cameras that could have caught anything suspicious around the palace or Steve's street and then he'll go by the hospital to collect the evidence so he could take them to Charlie.

Sleep actually never crossed his mind. Either way, the first rays of sunshine were starting to show and he knew that in a couple of hours they would be clear to leave.

He didn't know how Annabeth would act after she woke up. He knew that the drugs and the experience itself had left her vulnerable and she didn't like to feel vulnerable at all. He just hoped she wouldn't push everyone away trying to demonstrate that she was strong enough to handle what had happened. No one doubted that she was, but she could be stubborn sometimes. Just like him, Danny would say.

It was actually amazing how much they resembled each other even if they didn't grew up together. The circumstances in both their lives had made them strong and independent. He had come to terms with his life being completely upside down but it still surprised him that hers was too, at such a young age.

He had wondered many times what kind of things she had done working as a spy when she was younger. She was well trained and possessed a knowledge that few people had on their line of work. But he didn't pounder on those thoughts either because his heart ached every time he thought about everything she must have gone through in her life to be like she was now.

When an hour had already passed, he began wondering how their lives would have been if they had grown up like a normal family. If their mother hadn't faked her own death and abandoned them while she was pregnant. If she hadn't given Annabeth up for adoption in another country, maybe neither of them would be working in the line of fire every day. Granted, maybe if they had grown up together they wouldn't be as close as they are right now. Maybe their relationship would be more like the one he had with Mary. They loved each other but it was really hard to put up with his other sister sometimes.

Maybe the reason he and Annabeth got along so well was the fact that they had been looking for a place to actually call home for a long time. They had found a refugee in Hawaii and in the fact that they were truly family. Even after the fiasco of Annabeth finding out he had kept the fact that they were related a secret from her, they had learned how to live and work together. They were doing great. And, again, his blood rushed to his head just thinking about the son of a bitch who had dared assault her like that.

They needed to catch him so he could pull the trigger himself.

He caught a movement with the corner of his eyes and turned around to see Annabeth slowly waking up. The sun was already up in the horizon and the day had officially started.

\- Hi – he said softly – how are you feeling?

\- Better – she announced. And she sounded better too – you said I could leave in the morning? – she asked, already sitting up in bed and making an attempt to get out of the bed completely.

\- Whoa there! Stay put. The doctor needs to check you out again before you can go.

\- Go call her then. I feel fine and I want to get out of here. I hate hospitals – Steve looked at her for a second. He didn't quite know how to handle her yet. He was worried she wasn't actually fine but he didn't want to overwhelm her with concern either. He didn't want to be condescending but neither could he treat her like nothing had happened. He was actually at a loss of what to do. He decided to let things run its course for the time being and go get the doctor. He supposed Annabeth would give him the cues of how to act around her depending on her mood or even actions. By the time the doctor entered her room, she had already gone to the bathroom and cleaned up as best as she could.

\- So I guess you are feeling better? – the doctor asked.

\- Yes. I'm not hurting so much either and I don't feel dizzy anymore.

\- That's good considering the drugs have already been flushed out of your system entirely. I know I said you were free to go as soon as the last bag of fluids was empty but I need you to take it easy for a few days. You might still feel a little discomfort while going to the bathroom or even after walking for too long, and dizzy spells aren't completely out of the picture yet. So drink as much water as you can and give yourself the time to rest. It shouldn't take long for you to feel absolutely normal again – the doctor finished with a smile that Annabeth did her best to return – I'll go sign your discharge papers.

\- Thanks – Annabeth said. After the doctor left, she and Steve were left alone in the room.

\- So… Danny's gonna swing by to bring you some new clothes and take the evidence back to Charlie. He's already been investigating and after that we'll work together in the office. You can have the rest of the day to rest at home.

\- I wanna be part of the investigation – she stated.

\- Not happening – he replied. They looked at each other defiantly.

\- I need to be a part of this.

\- You know I can't let that happen. Besides, you heard the doctor, you need rest – he argued.

\- But I already told you I feel better and I can help you catch him. I'm the only one who's seen him after all – she was starting to sound angry.

\- Annabeth you know when someone's too close to a case they have to stand down from any investigation. Right now you're a victim not a part of the investigation process – she stared at him. A victim. She was a victim. She didn't like the sound of that and didn't like the fact that he had referred to her as one. She was about to say something back when the door opened and someone stepped inside.

\- Hey! I brought your spare clothes from the office. I heard you're clear to go. How do you feel? – asked Danny passing her the bag.

\- Fine – she answered and went straight to the bathroom. Steve had seen the reaction his last words had caused and he mentally slapped himself in the face for it. What a way to use his words.

\- Amm… everything okay? – Danny asked, knowing that of course nothing was right.

\- She's angry – Steve said – she wants to be part of the investigation. Says she can help us.

\- Well, I know it's not usually what we do but, maybe she can – Steve stared at him.

\- You're no serious are you? She has just been assaulted! We shouldn't even be discussing this – he said in a low voice so she wouldn't hear him from the bathroom.

\- I know that, and if this was anybody else I would agree with you but it's Annabeth. You think she's actually gonna sit this one out? Come on! It's like asking you to stop looking for WoFat – Steve pulverized him with his gaze but Danny didn't back down. He knew he had stricken a nerve saying that but it was true. And, soon enough, he saw the defeat in his partner's eyes.

\- Alright – he said. Danny patted him on the shoulder and left to go pick up the evidence. After that, Annabeth got out of the bathroom.

\- Where's Danny? – she asked.

\- Went to grab the evidence. Then we'll drop it off at the lab and head to the office – she frowned.

\- No stops along the way? – she asked referring home. He sighed.

\- No. Just straight to the office. But, no running around for you. If we find a lead you can help us from the inside. You make sure you drink plenty of water and get some rest when there's nothing to be done. Are we clear? – he said. She smiled a little.

\- Done – she answered.

Then they left to find Danny. With everything they needed, they made their way to the parking lot and got in the truck. Danny went for his camaro and they all headed to the lab. After dropping off the evidence to Charlie, making it clear that this was a priority, they headed for the office.

 **And for the first time we see a little bit of attitude from Annabeth but, can you blame her? And of course Steve wants to be overprotective. Also, Danny kind of acts here like the voice of reason, a role I think he has to take when Steve finds himself battling emotions he doesn't really know how to express, he's a Neanderthal after all right?**

 **I'll be waiting to hear your comments and the choices from Stephanie and Texas50Fan about the option stuff!**

 **Thank you for being so patient with me and for sticking with this story!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't know why lately I've been having trouble sleeping and maybe that's why I've managed to write so much in so short periods of time. That's exactly what's happening right now as its past midnight and I posting a new chapter.**

 **This chapter brings it down a notch on the angst department in order to give the story a respite and time to build up the plot of catching the man who assaulted Annabeth. We're soon gonna be seeing our characters at work and doing everything they can to catch him.**

 **Don't worry, what I have in store for you later will totally blow your minds off… enjoy this chapter for now!**

Steve glanced at his watch and knew Chin and Kono must have already arrived and, sure enough, their respective vehicles were parked in their usual spots. He had been meaning to ask Annabeth if she wanted Chin and Kono to be part of the investigation or if she rather not tell them, but found himself out of time by the moment they all stepped through the door. Chin, who was currently getting out of Kono's office, was the first one to grit them.

\- Good morning! I must say I'm curious as to why we arrived earlier than you guys – he said with humor in his eyes.

\- Yeah boss, you're usually the first one to arrive always – added Kono walking to the smart table where they had all gathered. Instantly, the cousins could see that humor wasn't exactly in the air when for a few seconds they received no reply. Danny looked at Steve and Steve looked at Annabeth trying to determine what to do. And Annabeth, seeing that no one was offering an answer, decided to speak first. She knew that if they were investigating this case formally, then there was no chance of keeping it hidden from the rest of the team.

\- We have a case – she started, leaving all thoughts of shame aside in order to do the task at hand – a raping last night in Waimanola – instantly the cousins demeanor changed understanding the gravity of the case.

\- All right, do we have any evidence? Witnesses? Who was the victim? – there it was again, that word.

\- Me – she answered and not even a needle falling to the floor would have been heard in the silence that followed.

\- What? – Kono asked, looking at the other three members of the team who had just walked through the door and realizing the seriousness and the worry in their eyes.

\- I'm sorry that you have to find out like this but now there's no time to waste – she proceeded. Somehow, everyone else in the room had momentarily lost the ability to talk. She turned to Danny – Steve mentioned you were gonna go through some security footage from around the palace? – he cleared his throat when he realized he needed to actually start talking now.

\- Yeah. I was thinking maybe this wasn't random and that you could have been targeted so I decided to go through the footage from the surrounding areas of the palace, starting from yesterday and going back for at least three days, focusing on the times you arrived or left work, but I didn't find anything suspicious.

\- All right then, we should go the bar and see if they, or any other store near, have security cameras that could have caught anything on video. Charlie already has the evidence and hopefully after he's done processing it we'll be able to get a match on any of the databases – continued Annabeth, talking as if this was any other normal case. They were all stunned to see her act so normal, if not a little bit bossy (which was completely unlike her), but they also knew she didn't like to be pitied. Not that they were; they were just concerned. And since she was making the effort to detach herself from the case per se, the rest of them wouldn't do anything less. So Chin switched his focus back on and chimed in.

\- What about MO? We could try and match it with any other cases here in Hawaii or maybe even in the mainland. Maybe we'll get lucky and be able to identify the perp through that.

\- That's a good idea, but we're gonna need a statement to compare – intervened Kono.

\- Then we better get to it – said Annabeth before going quiet for a minute as if remembering that she was the one who had to give the statement and deciding that she really didn't want to. She knew it was necessary, it was procedure, but it also meant that the rest of them would not only know _what_ had happened, but _how_ it had happened, and she didn't feel comfortable talking to any of them about it. But bringing an HPD officer to do it was out of the question, she didn't want her case to leave Five-0. So she turned to the safest option – will you take my statement? – she asked.

\- Yes, of course – Kono answered. Then everyone else turned to Steve, who had yet to utter a single word, looking for orders as to how to proceed from now. Annabeth may have started the whole investigation process but he was the leader after all, and ultimately it was his call to assign everyone their respective tasks.

\- Right. So, Kono will take the statement while Chin heads down to the lab to see if Charlie's already done or if he needs any help at all. Danny and I will head to the bar – he finished.

Everyone nodded and set to work.

Before they separated though, Annabeth turned to Steve when a sudden rush of fear came forward at the thought of being apart. He had become the pillar that assured her that, while present, he wouldn't let anything happen to her; but she also knew she didn't want him around when she gave her statement and she was thankful that he was giving her the space to do so.

\- Thank you – she said softly and he came closer to wrap his arm around her and place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

\- We'll catch him. I promise.

And after that, Danny, Steve and Chin left to do their respective works while Kono guided Annabeth to her office to begin taking her statement.

 **There you have it! And towards the end: just a little bit of comfort between siblings! I hope you liked this chapter and as always I look forward to reading your thoughts about it!**

 **Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello there my dear readers. I think Option 1 has already been decided based on both your comments and my feelings so, it's time for me to begin steering the wheel towards what I originally had planed. There's still a few safe chapters that would work for either of the options until we reach the point of no return.**

 **Like this one for example. Aquababy58: I also felt it would have been too awkward for Annabeth to give her statement to one of the guys. I know I would prefer to talk to a woman about it.**

 **Texas50Fan: I love writing dialogs between Steve and Annabeth. I think they have a unique way on communicating and I can play with them being maybe a little angry with the other but never ever stop caring. I'm glad that you like it! Also, thanks for your opinion on the decision I have to make!**

 **Stephanie: I do want to trust my instincts but I'm a little bit nervous too! And don't worry, there are more stories roaming around in my head for when this is over!**

 **And, with no further a due: here's chapter 11!**

 **Enjoy!**

\- So, you know how this works. Why don't we start with how did you ended up at the bar? – asked Kono. She wasn't looking forward to this but she guessed, if the roles were reversed, she wouldn't want any of the guys to be taking a statement like this.

\- I wanted to be alone for a while and I decided to go to a part of the Island I hadn't been before. I was just walking around and the bar caught my attention. It was a hot day and I wanted something to drink.

\- What time was it when you came in?

\- Around 8:00 p.m.

\- Can you remember if you saw anyone walking in right after you did?

\- A few people. But I wasn't paying attention to them. The place was actually crowded when I got there and there weren't too many tables available so I sat in a small one near the right corner. I… I had my back to the front door – she said as if realizing something for the first time – how stupid could I have been?

\- It's okay – Kono intervened gently – you know this wasn't your fault.

\- Yeah right – Annabeth snorted. Kono went on because right now it would be futile to get into an argument trying to convince her that what had happened hadn't been anyone else's fault but the attacker's.

\- Did you drink any alcohol? Did you eat anything?

\- No. I just asked for a diet coke. I remember thinking that it was taking too long to be delivered but I wasn't in any hurry and the place was crowded so I figured it was normal – Kono made sure to write that down - What happened afterwards?

\- I was lost in thought; I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings figuring that for a few hours I could let my guard down and pretend to be normal. It actually took me about an hour to drink just half my coke when suddenly I needed to pee so badly that I couldn't wait. I got up from the table and walked straight to the bathroom. It was empty and I went for the third cubicle. I was even the one to lower my pants and that's when the door opened and… - she stopped again, lost in the memory and remembering yet another detail – I didn't lock the door of the cubicle – she said, again mentally kicking herself for being so careless. _What the hell had gotten into her?_ – that's when he came in.

\- Do you remember what he looked like? Can you describe him?

\- He was tall. At least a head taller than me. I think he was strong but I should have been able to fight him off; whatever drug he gave me made me too weak – she paused to take a breath. She hadn't really given much thought to the guy's appearance since waking up in the hospital and, between the drug and what had happened, she was having trouble remembering distinctive features – he was wearing a mask. It was transparent so I could see his face but not actually recognize it if I ever saw it again. It was all just blurry. He was Caucasian but I can't even tell if he was a _haole_ or not. Then I just… I remember what happened but I… - she was having trouble keeping a composed face at the moment.

She remembered the sensation of lack of air, his hold on her neck, her weak attempts to get free, her desperation when he finally assaulted her.

Kono let her take a moment, telling her to take all the time she needed, being understanding, but she just wanted to get that over with so she could recover her composure and detach herself from the role of victim. So she told her everything. Well, right until the part where she had actually reached a climax point. She didn't need anyone thinking she had liked what had happened in the end. That wasn't relevant to the investigation.

She ended up the tale with what the man had said right before leaving. The specific way he said he'd be back. " _Until next time doll_ " Somehow, that felt important. After that, she excused herself and went to the bathroom. She needed to splash cold water into her face.

Kono was left in her office, trying to digest everything she had heard and locking her anger away until the moment came to let it out into the pervert who had dared hurt her friend.

Knowing what had to be done, she started comparing the perp's MO to the database and contacting other agencies in the mainland to see if they could get any hits. When Annabeth walked out of the bathroom, she went straight to Steve's office and drained a bottle of water. She took about ten minutes to rest and put her head back in the game before walking to the smart table and start reviewing the footage Danny had already gone through in case she could recognize something. She didn't.

So far nothing indicated that she had been targeted and, somehow, that made her sense of failure and vulnerability even worst. To allow herself to be the victim of a random attack what so humiliating that she actually found herself wishing she had been targeted. Maybe that would give her an excuse as to why would someone gain the upper hand on her. She was a trained spy, not some random girl that any perverted man could pick up from the streets! What if she just wasn't fit to be doing this kind of job anymore? What would she do then?

Thinking about the lack of possibilities in her life was starting to give her a headache, so she decided to worry about it later. Right now, she needed to focus on the only thing that could help her recover her self confidence: catching the man that had decided to do this to her.

 **Next chapter: we get to see Steve and Danny again. I make no promises but maybe I'll have posted by the end of the day.**

 **I'm looking forward to read your comments about this. I found it hard to write Kono, I don't know why I just couldn't tap into her character well enough. It was difficult to make Annabeth find comfort in her even though their friends because, as I said in the previous chapter, Steve is her pillar. I hope it was good enough though!**

 **Until later today!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I did it! I was able to finish this by the end of the day! I hope you like this chapter! It has lots of Steve and Danny.**

 **And, just so you know… we are maybe two or three chapters away from the point of no return so, sit tight, because what's coming soon will totally blow your minds! Does any of you ventures to guess what could happen that is soooooooo bad as to make even me doubtful of posting? I'd love to hear your ideas!**

 **In the mean time, here's chapter 12!**

 **Enjoy!**

Having been there the night before, finding the bar wasn't really that hard. When they entered the place they walked straight to the bartender, the owner of the place, and stood in front of him. They could see he was busy, even for a Wednesday morning, but they didn't care.

\- I'm sorry gentleman but you're gonna have to wait until the morning rush hour stops – answered the bartender when they said they needed to ask him a few questions.

\- We don't have time – said Steve irritably while flashing his badge. The owner had definitely recognized him as the man that had picked that girl up the night before and he could see that his anger hadn't left him at all. Danny knew his partner was way too angry right now so he suggested he went to the different stores across the street and next to the bar to ask for any security camera video. Surprisingly, he agreed.

\- Do you remember this girl coming into your bar? – asked Danny, flashing a photo of Annabeth on his phone screen once Steve was gone.

\- Yeah, yeah she was pretty drunk last night and your friend picked her up – Danny scowled at him.

\- She wasn't drunk. She was drugged while drinking something from _your_ bar and ended up being assaulted in the bathroom – the news seemed to actually startle the man.

\- You're not actually suggesting I had anything to do with this, do you? I'm sorry for the girl but I didn't do anything to her.

\- Then how could you explain her being drugged?

\- How should I know?

\- Maybe one of the waiters put something in her drink? – asked Danny, glancing around and noticing there were at least two people working as waiters.

\- Look, they have been working for me for almost a year each and nothing like this has ever happened.

\- Okay, then what can you tell me about last night? Anyone out of the ordinary? Any new client?

\- By the time the girl came in it was a busy night. I know there were a lot of regular clients but also a few that came for the first time, including her. I can't say I remember anything out of place and the girl never again crossed my mind until she came stumbling out of the bathroom. I really wish I could help you but I was busy. Around 10:30 p.m. people started leaving, since it was only a Tuesday, and only a few regular clients were still here. I'm sorry, but it really was a normal night.

\- Right, except for the fact that a girl got raped in your bathroom. Really normal – Danny sighed – do you have security cameras?

\- Nah man, can't afford them.

\- Great. Well I'm gonna need a sample of your DNA and those of your employees.

\- Do you have a warrant for that? – asked the man.

\- Do I need one? – retorted Danny – you said you didn't have anything to do with it and neither did your employees so it shouldn't be a problem – the man actually thought about it for a moment. He hadn't raped anyone so there was no harm right? He agreed, and Danny got a sample of saliva into a cotton tip. They had come prepared to collect DNA samples to compare them to the evidence provided by the raping kit.

After that he talked to the waiters and gathered their samples as well. He doubted either of them had anything to do with it but they weren't taking any chances and, actually, one of their statements might prove useful in the investigation.

He said he remembered a couple of guys, new clients, coming into the bar and having trouble finding a table due to all the people inside. He thought he remembered they finally sat down and he recognized Annabeth as the girl sitting in the table next to theirs.

He met up with Steve at the car and told him everything. Steve had managed to get his hands on the footage from the store right across the street but no witnesses that could place Annabeth walking on the street and maybe someone following her.

They were making their way back to the office in silence, one that was reaching the edges of uncomfortable due to the long ride they still had ahead of them.

\- I know I'm the one who talks most out of the two of us, but you're unusually quiet yourself – said Danny. Steve was driving with one hand on the steering wheel and his other arm against the side window, holding his head in his hand.

\- I'm not in the mood – he answered. He didn't sound angry. Danny knew he was angry but he didn't sound like it. He sounded more… heartbroken.

\- We're gonna catch him you know? In case you were worried about that.

\- It's not that – he glanced at his partner and saw that he was waiting for him to elaborate. He knew better than to leave him waiting. He just wasn't in the mood for Danny to be digging the information out of him with a spoon – I'm worried about her.

\- We all are – responded Danny.

\- I know. It's just… did you see the way she handled delivering the news to Chin and Kono? It was so professional that you almost couldn't believe she was talking about herself. It… - he trailed off trying to find the right words to express what he was feeling – _unnerves_ me that she can do that being so young. Actually, it _pains_ me that she does.

\- I get what you mean. Sometimes she can be so sweet and funny and sometimes she gets this _expressions_ and she _acts_ like someone way older and more experienced than she should be; especially at work. I know she has an uncommon background but it's hard to put so many facets in just one person. A very young person.

\- Exactly – answered Steve. Sometimes his partner understood him way too much – but she's eventually gonna have to break at some point. No one goes through what she's been through and bounces back so quickly.

\- Actually, with her you never know. I have no doubt she'll recover from it though.

\- Yeah... – after a few more minutes, Danny talked again.

\- What if she wasn't drugged through her beverage?

\- What do you mean? How else could the drug have gotten in her system?

\- Well, she was drinking a coke right? One of the waiters said it was from a tin can that she opened herself and the glasses are supposedly picked up right from the sink after being washed. If they actually had nothing to do with it, how did the drug was put into her drink? – Steve thought very hard for a moment. He was actually raising a good point.

\- The doctor mentioned a substance called Trimetrafin. We should search information about it; maybe that'll shed some light into it – he said by the time they arrived back at the palace and headed up to the offices.

 **Is it me or are the chapters getting longer? A little sneak peek for next chapter: some tension starts to develop in the office. Some very good hurt/comfort along the way!**

 **Remember to review and say if you have any idea what's coming next!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello my wonderful readers! Here I am with another chapter of this (hopefully) great story!**

 **Aquababy58: thank you for always leaving a review! I always want to hear your thoughts before I post a new chapter every time. Also, you're right: the mystery of how Annabeth got drugged is revealed BUT not on this chapter; maybe immediately after? Right now we're gonna get some angst for our favorite characters because it's been too long since last time!**

 **To all of you: I hope you like it!**

 **Enjoy!**

It turns out Chin had also come back from the lab, but he hadn't brought good news. Neither him nor Charlie could find any match on the databases that linked the DNA from the raping kit to anyone in particular.

Kono wasn't having much luck either. There were no records of this MO in the databases and, as some agent from the mainland so gallantly told her, it wasn't the most distinctive of MO's, so it was a really long shot to match it with any other raping cases anywhere. Essentially, anyone in the world could have done this.

So, momentarily leaving those courses of action behind, they concentrated on the new information Steve and Danny gathered at the bar. Chin dedicated himself to the search of information on Trimetrafin and trying to find out where it can be bought. Danny and Kono started reviewing the security tapes searching for the time Annabeth had gone into the bar, and Danny was paying a special attention to any pair of men entering the bar before or after her. If his gut was right about this, then the men the waiter had mentioned had something to do with what had happened.

On the other hand, Steve had motioned Annabeth to go to his office.

\- How are you holding up? – he asked her, leaning on his desk while she took a seat in the chair.

\- I'm good – she answered. Truth was, she had felt the need to go to the bathroom little before everyone had returned and the process had been painful.

\- You look tired – Steve noted – have you gotten any rest? – Annabeth had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. She knew he was just worried but she didn't want to be considered weak.

\- I'm fine Steve – she said, standing up from the chair trying to avoid where the conversation was going – it's not like I'm gonna fall on my face if I … - but she couldn't finish. A sudden wave of dizziness hit her and she doubled over when her vision blurred to the point she couldn't even see the door in front of her, which is where she had been walking.

\- Hey! – exclaimed Steve and rushed forward to help her. She held on to his arm until the dizziness went away and she turned to him again.

\- Sorry I just stood up too fast. I'm fine – her voice was small, her breathing a little too heavy.

\- Annabeth you don't need to pretend like everything's fine. You have nothing to prove here. The doctor said you needed to rest and you should really go home to be able to do that.

\- I'm not trying to pretend anything! – _liar!_ She said to herself – I _am_ fine and you have to stop treating me like I was a victim. I'm not! – she was raising her voice now.

\- Anna… - Steve started but she didn't let him.

\- Everyone just keeps using that word. Victim. Victim. Yes, I was attacked but that doesn't mean I'm gonna go home and hide under the covers!

\- No one's expecting you to do that either!

\- You are! All you want to do is send me home and keep me away from this. You don't need to protect me from the investigation Steve. I can handle it!

\- I'm just worried Annabeth! The doctor said you could still feel pain and dizzy spells, which is exactly what happened now. Have you felt any pain at all? – she just looked defiantly at him.

\- No - she said. He just kept looking at her – maybe…

\- See? It' not that I think you can't handle it, I just don't want you to hurt yourself even further because you wouldn't stand down from this – by now, the anger inside of her seemed to transform into sadness as her eyes started to moist and she looked down to the floor. Seeing this, Steve came closer and reached for her chin to bring it up – hey, what's up? – he gently asked. She swallowed.

\- I don't want to go home – she answered, trying with all her might to keep the tears from falling.

\- Why? I bet you would feel a lot better if you got a couple of hours of sleep. You haven't slept much since yesterday so it couldn't hurt to do so for a little bit.

\- If I go home you'd still be here working on the case – she finally looked him in the eyes again – and I don't want to be alone – he felt like someone was squeezing his heart with an iron hand. How could he have not thought about that? Normally Annabeth was so independent that it didn't cross his mind to think she would be scared of being alone at home. Geez! He could be dense sometimes. He stepped closer and enveloped her in a hug, resting his chin on her forehead.

\- I'm sorry – he said – I didn't think of that – once she had calmed down enough, she wiped the only tear that had managed to escape but she didn't break the hug.

\- I know you're worried – she started softly – but you're also angry and I know you. You're not gonna let anyone else run this investigation and that means you have to be here. And if you're here, then I'm here too – she finished, hoping he would understand her need to be close to her family.

\- You're right – he said with his voice tight – just promise me something.

\- Shoot – she answered.

\- Don't pretend with me. You don't have to and I would never think less of you for being scared or hurt about what happened. I know you're strong and I know you can handle a lot just, don't hide from me – again, a tear made its way down her cheek.

\- Okay – she whispered.

\- You know I'm here for you right? – he asked, breaking the hug to look at her. She smiled at him.

\- I know.

\- Hey guys! – yelled Danny while opening the door to the office – sorry to interrupt but you should see this. Maybe you can identify someone from this video – he said directly to Annabeth. She wiped her eyes again and squeezed Steve's hand one last time before nodding.

\- Let's go – she said. And they made their way to the smart table.

 **Now we're gonna start getting some answers! I just need a little bit of time to connect what has already been written with what I have of the infamous Option 1 story line. It shouldn't take me long… maybe a day? Definitely less if I get some very motivational heartfelt reviews! Which are, of course, whatever you decide to write because all your reviews, from all of you, are always filled with kind and encouraging words!**

 **So, I'm gonna go write now! Until next chapter!**

 **P/S: REVIEWS!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I couldn't help myself! I NEED to write fast to get to the interesting part of the story already! So here's chapter 14! Some mysteries are revealed and action is starting to peek through the window to take some part in this story!**

 **I hope you guys like it and, as always, thank you for your patience and dedication to this story.**

 **Aquababy58: you are my favorite person in the world right now, have I told you that already? Yes, Annabeth doesn't want to be away from Steve and she had a hard time admitting to that. Although she knows and understands her feelings of vulnerability and her need to be near him, she also doesn't think she should act on that need because she's supposed to be strong and brave when faced with situations like this because she has been trained to do so. Of course, she's struggling to come to terms with that. I just hope I have been able to write her character as well defined as I have her in my mind. Thank you so much for your support!**

 **Enjoy this chapter!**

 **P/S: STEPHANIE! I'm missing you! I'd love to read your thought on the last couple of chapters! TEXAS50FAN! You're not out of my radar so…. Reviews! Please?**

On the big screen, they could see the picture of two men right outside the bar. Chin had enhanced their faces and they could see the facial recognition program working on another screen. So far, no match had been found.

\- I think we found the two guys the waiter talked to me about – started Danny – they went in about 20 minutes after you did but, what's interesting is that they had already passed the bar going in the opposite direction – he started playing the video. Sure enough, they saw the men walk in the sidewalk and pass the bar without even a glance – a few minutes later you come in and after 20 minutes they must have double back and then entered the bar. Do you remember them sitting next to you? – he got no answer. Everyone turned to her – Annabeth?

\- What is it? – asked Steve, concern written all over his face because she had gone a little pale around the edges – do you recognize him? – he asked, referring to her attacker.

\- I think I remember them. I was walking; I hadn't even decided where I wanted to go yet when I bumped into someone. Another man had pushed him but they weren't fighting, they were more like playing around. They apologized and laughed it off. They seemed nice – she finished with a small voice.

\- Okay. Why this bar? – Kono asked.

\- What?

\- You said you hadn't know where you wanted to go yet, but after you bumped into them you almost immediately went into that bar – she actually had to think hard for a second, trying to remember why she had decided pick that bar.

\- I was thirsty – she answered truthfully after a while – I just wanted something cool to drink and the bar was right there.

\- Did you feel any pinprick when the guy bumped into you? Maybe he injected you with the drug? – she shook her head.

\- That would make sense then – intervened Chin – I did some research and found out that Trimetrafin is a substance that, although injected works faster, its most commonly used with a spray can. It is used as a strong tranquilizer and some side effects are thirst and the almost immediate need to go the bathroom. The drug is actually on an experimental marketing period and is just prescribed to deal with extreme cases of anxiety and panic attacks.

\- He must have sprayed you without you noticing – Kono said – and you became really thirsty, deciding to go into a bar that was as good as any. They doubled back and waited for the drug to start taking effect before going into the bar themselves.

\- Where can you find a drug like this? – asked Danny – it doesn't sound too common at all.

\- The bad news is: you can buy it in any pharmacy. The good news though, is that you need a prescription and so every drop of the thing must be accounted for. I'm already running a search to find out where the drug has been bought during at least the last month and see if we can link a buyer with any of these men – finished Chin signaling the man on the screen.

\- That's very good work guys – said Steve. Suddenly a beeping sound came from the smart table as Chin was typing thing in it and he swiped his hand to send a list of names towards the big screen.

\- Al right, so we have only five purchases of the drug in three different local pharmacies. All with the respective prescription but three of them paid in cash and only two of them used a credit card.

\- Why did this one pay more than the others? – asked Danny signaling to one of the costumers who had payed with a credit card.

\- Let's see – he clicked on the drug purchase to get a better view of everything that the person had bought – apparently all the others went to the pharmacy just to buy this substance specifically but this person decided to buy a whole lot of things: we have band aids, some vitamins and other minor supplies – he then used the credit card number to search for the person's identity and after a few seconds, an ID popped on the screen sporting the image of a young man. Almost instantly the face recognition program beeped and made a match between one of the men at the bar and the photo of the person that had bought the Trimetrafin. Everyone stared at it for a second.

\- Coincidence much? – offered Kono.

\- That's our guy – Danny stated – Paul Brown, 29 years old, from the mainland. New Jersey – he said – ironic.

\- Do we have an address for him in Hawaii? – asked Steve. Kono began typing.

\- No. But we do have a Sean Brown listed as his brother. He's been living in Hawaii for the past two years – when she found the brother's ID, the screen beeped again. They had found the other man.

\- Alright; Chin, give me and address. Danny and Kono, you're with me – commanded Steve while going to his office to fish out his gear. The all followed his orders and were soon ready to go. It was obvious Annabeth wasn't going to be part of the raid and Chin was going to stay behind because Steve didn't want her to be alone until they could catch the suspects.

\- I'm sending the address to your phone now. We'll be listening through your coms the whole time – said Chin.

\- Okay. Let's go! – and they almost ran towards the exit.

Through all of that, Annabeth had barely taken her eyes off the screen, trying her hardest to remember if any of those men was her attacker. She thought the one from New Jersey was too young. Suddenly she recalled his voice, gruff and somehow fully grown and realized that, if they had actually anything to do with her getting assaulted, then it would be the older brother, Sean, the one who had abused her.

Chin came closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder, offering her a kind smile and an understanding look.

\- This will be over soon – he said. She gave him a shy smile I return but focused his attention back on the screen where a pair of dark brown eyes were looking back at her. She hoped Chin was right. She just wanted this to be over.

 **I think I have already figured out how I'm gonna link this part of the story with what I have already written of Option One, so I'm gonna get into it right away!**

 **Do you think they'll catch the SOB that did this to Annabeth in the next chapter? All I can say is that they're getting close!**

 **Waiting to read your thoughts! In the mean time, I'm gonna keep writing!**

 **Until later! (hopefully)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Aquababy58: this is so, so, so, so, soooooo far from over! Things are about to get interesting and I'm super excited because we are only ONE chapter away from the infamous Option One! Which I'll post in just a few hours! I PROMISE!**

 **Until then, my dear readers, here's chapter 15. It's a bit short but I wanted to finish it quickly so I could get to the interesting part!**

 **Enjoy!**

They arrived at the house a little under 15 minutes and rushed to the door taking it down with one swift kick without even knocking once. Normally Danny would have ranted non-stop at his partner salvage way of doing things. Today, though, he didn't mind; he would have taken the door down himself.

\- Paul and Sean Brown! This is Five-0! – yelled Steve but he got no reply. There was no one in the living room son they split up to search the rest of the house. Danny took the left bedroom on the hall while Kono took the right one. Steve registered the bathroom and then went outside to look into the backyard.

\- Clear! – came Danny's voice into their coms.

\- Clear! – this time Kono. Steve followed soon after.

\- There's no one here.

\- Boss you better come see this – said Kono urgently over the com. Both he and Danny rushed to where she was holstering their weapons. What they found turned their blood to ice.

\- What the….? – said Danny.

One of the walls on the room Kono had cleared was covered in pictures, surveillance pictures, and Annabeth was on each and every one of them. They could also see each other.

There were pictures of the whole team at different crime scenes. Pictures of them eating at Kamekona's. Danny specifically shoved a picture off the wall to stare at it when he recognized Grace hanging out with Annabeth on one of her tennis matches. He remembered the day way too clearly, it was a Sunday and his daughter had won the game against an older player. They had been so proud of here, and just the thought of those pervs having a picture of his little Grace made his stomach growl.

There were other pictures where only Annabeth and Steve were portrayed. It showed them around the palace, or on the streets, on their way to a crime scene or to interview a suspect. Danny was in a lot of pictures as well with the two of them, but what unnerved Steve the most were the pictures taken at his house. Them arriving or leaving, running down the beach or going for a swim. Annabeth actually didn't like running too much so it wasn't common for her to join him on his morning exercises. The last time he can remember working out together was at least a few month back. So these guys had been stalking her for at least that long.

This was definitely worst that they'd thought.

\- We need to find them – he said tightly and then spoke to Chin over his com – Chin, send out and alert for the two of them. I want every cop on the island looking for the SOBs. Alert the airport and the docks. Contact Jersey police and ask for their assistance in case they manage to slip our radars and return to the mainland – a noise outside stopped them on their tracks. They got out of the room and faced the front door. Beyond, they could see Sean Brown staring at them for just a second before dropping what he was caring and running down the street.

He got into a car and sped away. Steve had begun to follow Sean on foot but seeing him speed away he doubled back and got into the Camaro. Danny and Kono right behind them.

They gave Chin the license plate number and model of the car, put the sirens on and readied themselves for a hell of a car chase. Only, it wasn't that hellish at all.

They raced through a few streets until they reached the center of Honolulu where the danger of running over a tourist increased by a tenfold. As always, Danny had a panic attack every time Steve came close to ending their lives or the lives of the innocent people of Hawaii. Kono was, of course, edging him on.

After all his efforts, they managed to lost them in the confusion of cars and people, but Chin soon made himself known again by saying he had caught sight of the vehicle entering the parking lot of an office building. They hurried over and got out of the car, weapons ready and headed over the parking lot searching for the car and its driver.

They had to go all the way down to the lowest level before finding the car again and when they did, the gathered around it, weapons trained on it, waiting for Steve's signal to come closer. The slowly made their way towards the front seats and three guns were pointed steadily into the empty driver's seat. There was no one in the car.

They started searching the perimeter, car by car, one parking lot space after the other but found no sign of him. They covered each floor until they reached street level again and Steve cursed under his breath because he knew they had lost him. Once outside in the open again it was too easy to get lost in the amount of people walking on the streets. It was a rush hour: tourist leaving the beach, people getting out of work, it was chaotic. The perfect place to hide. Annabeth and Chin's eyes were glued to the screens, trying to identify the suspect through the surveillance cameras but they had no luck. The suspect was gone.

\- Damn it! – Steve said.

\- Let's go back to the house. Gather all the evidence that we can and start a new search based on the identity of the two of them – offered Danny, in no way less disappointed than Steve.

\- Fine – was the curtly reply.

By the time they made it back to the office, it was already dark. They had taken all the pictures from the house and had also alerted HPD to put a few patrol cars around the house in case either Paul or Sean showed up again, which was doubtful.

The mood in the office was tense. They were all angry that the suspect had gotten away but they were even more so by the lack of information on them and the empty results of the various alerts put out throughout the city. There were no other properties on their names, no current jobs, no know associates, they didn't even have an arrest record or so much as a speeding ticket. Just who the hell were they and why had they targeted Annabeth?

And, more importantly, how were they going to find them?

It was near 10 p.m. already and Steve knew he needed to send his team home. They were all tired and frustrated. He also suspected they weren't going to get any new leads that night. Right now they depended on the alerts and if their suspects decided to show their faces somewhere. There's wasn't much they could do from the office.

Also, he figured Annabeth must have been beyond tired. She had only gotten the few hours of sleep at the hospital and she was starting to look pale. She hadn't wanted to eat anything for lunch and had been surviving only with water. They weren't exactly following the doctor's orders and he needed to take her home. So, after announcing his decision, the all gathered their stuff and went home.

Danny had offered to spend the night at the McGarrett House, but it was Annabeth who had declined. She didn't want him having a rough night because of her, she knew how much he despised sleeping in the couch. He had insisted it was fine but she refused. There was no need. And so, after calling it a night, they all went home.

The first night home was completely sleepless, both for Annabeth and Steve and he had only managed to get her to eat some cereal by the end of the night. Things didn't go much better with food the next few days but she had managed to get some sleep during the nights. But even she had to admit she was getting beyond frustrated by the fact that they hadn't been able to catch even a glimpse of her attackers. It was as if they had dropped out of the earth.

They had been spending more time in the office than ever, every one working around the clock to find them, and they were beginning to think they had been able to evade all HPD patrols and alerts and leave the island.

They had no idea.

 **And, FINALLY, next chapter: Option One begins! We have officially reached the point of no return. You better prepare yourself because what is about to happen will totally blow your minds!**

 **I CAN'T wait for your reactions although and dying of nervousness right now!**

 **See you in a few hours!**


	16. Chapter 16

**And here we are. Chapter 16 (Option One) has officially begun. I know that after you read this you're gonna hate me (and this isn't even half of it) but you guys decided! Hahaha**

 **I'll be patiently waiting to hear your comments and I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow's news showed an article along the lines of: "young writer dies alone at home. Cause of death: angry reviews"…. Just saying…..**

 **Anyway…. On with the show!**

It would have been the first night without nightmares after what had happened at the bar almost a week ago. But, of course, having the luck of the devil, it couldn't be a simple and quiet night.

That day they had received a tip that the two men they had been looking for had been spotted on a cruise ship and managed to slip out of the islands. And, even though they were still free and a danger to a lot of people, somehow Annabeth felt relieved knowing that at least they weren't in the same estate as her. She knew it was selfish but she couldn't help it. That didn't mean though that she wasn't angry as hell because they had managed to avoid detection.

That's why this was supposed to be a normal night. And it was, until a noise woke her up from her sleep and she found herself with a gun pointing at her head.

\- Make a move and your brother won't make it through the next hour – a man told her and she had to suppress the instinct to lash out.

\- What have you done with him? – she asked, slowly sitting up in bed.

\- Nothing…yet. Now, get up slowly and turn around.

She did as she was told. She wasn't going to risk Steve's safety by acting prematurely. She needed to know first where he was and if he was in any condition to fight. The man secured a pair of handcuffs around her wrists and grabbed her by the arm, leading her out of the room and down the stairs.

She was surprised by the amount of people she saw on the living room. But what startled her the most was seeing Steve handcuffed to a chair and clearly unconscious. There were two other men, all wearing masks and wielding guns. She was thrown rather unceremoniously in the middle of the living room at Steve's feet and she quickly shook him up a bit to try and wake him up.

\- Steve! Steve! – what she heard next make her skin crawl.

\- I told you we'd see each other again – that voice sent a shiver down her spine and she focused on the taller of the two men – don't worry, he'll wake up soon enough. We only gave him enough to subdue him – as if on cue, Steve started waking up, breathing a little heavier than usual but otherwise unharmed.

\- What do you want? – asked Annabeth, trying to control the shaking of her voice.

\- I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since our encounter on the bar – hearing this, Steve's head jerked up and all the fog was cleared from his mind.

\- You were the son of a bitch who… - but he couldn't finish. One of the men, either Paul, the younger brother, or the third unknown man, had come closer and sent a punch to his face.

\- Careful now how you talk to me. We wouldn't want you unconscious for the show now would we? Although I guess it would still be doable.

\- What are you talking about? What show? – Steve asked. Annabeth had gone very quiet since the appearance of this man and he couldn't help but worry at what this guy had planned for her.

\- Well, I have to admit that I've become a bit obsessed with you – the man answered, looking at Annabeth – to had been able to finally subdue you after all this time. I had been trying for months but somehow the opportunity never seemed to arrive. I knew the first time I saw you in action that you were a strong woman who I would enjoy making mine beyond belief – when he heard this, Steve knew they were dealing with someone mentally unstable. He had been trying for a while to get free from the handcuffs that secured his hands to the back legs of the chair, but he was having no luck. Also, there was the problem of the two armed guys pointing their guns at the two of them at all times – I knew I couldn't have you just one time so I decided to seek you out again, and you raiding our house last week was the final push I needed to come up with this – he stopped for a second and then started talking to Steve – during all these months, while I was watching you, I couldn't avoid but admire the relationship you two have. You seem very close to be siblings. Never fighting with each other, always watching eachother's backs. And so, it got me thinking… maybe I could have a little fun subduing the both of you, playing with you. I think it would be interesting to know how far you would go to keep your brother from getting hurt – he finished, turning back to Annabeth and coming closer to her.

\- If you touch her you're as good as dead – warned Steve with as much venom in his voice as he could muster.

\- Oh but I won't be the one touching her – he answered while grabbing Annabeth by the arm and yanking her to her feet – _you_ will.

\- What?! – Annabeth tried to get away from her attacker but at her resistance, one of the other men in the room came closer and pressed the barrel of his gun into Steve's face.

\- You're gonna do what I tell you or your brother here gets a bullet to the brain. Are we clear? – she couldn't find her voice to answer. She was too terrified to speak – are we clear?! – the man asked again, this time sending a kick to Steve's stomach making him fall to the floor. The grunt of pain that followed the action made Annabeth answer quickly.

\- Okay! Alright! – someone got Steve from the floor and settled him in the middle of the room again with a gun pointed at his head. One of the other men came closer with a syringe in hand and grabbed his arm.

\- Whoa! Whoa! What is that? – he asked, trying unsuccessfully to get away.

\- Just a little something to help you get in the mood – and the needle went in – in a few minutes you should feel the effects and we can begin.

 **So? Do you hate me? I know this chapter is short but consider it a kind of teaser for what's next to come.**

 **If you have managed to digest this and decide that you don't hate me enough to abandon this story for good, then I PROMISE the rest of it is really really interesting. But, like I said in the summary, it's a little out of the ordinary. Some really "Complicated Situations" start to develop from now on….**

 **I'm really nervous! I need to know what you guys think!**

 **Until next chapter (hopefully)**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I tried to warn you but you guys picked Option One!**

 **Like I said before, most of what happens from now on its already written, so updates should be even faster than before. I just have to go through what I've got so far to make sure it fits the first part of the story.**

 **Aquababy58: you raise a good point with the house alarm. I must admit I hadn't thought of that. Maybe we could pretend that one of the men was a tech guy? Someone with the ability to disable the alarm. Maybe that's what the third man was for.**

 **WARNINGS: this chapter becomes explicit again, and it's filled with angst, I just hope I have done a good work writing it all down.**

 **Looking forward to read your thoughts!**

Steve looked at Annabeth with desperation in his eyes. He was pretty sure that he had been injected with a drug that produced involuntary arousal because he was starting to feel its effects. His breathing was getting more agitated by the second and he could feel himself getting harder under his pajama pants; a fine sheet of sweat settling on his skin. For the love of God this couldn't be happening.

\- You're sick! – he yelled at the man still holding Annabeth by the arm but all he got for an answer was laughter.

\- Trust me, you're going to enjoy this. I speak from experience when I say that sweet little Annabeth here is a keeper – finally, Annabeth's brain caught up with the conversation and she glanced at Steve. Seeing the effect the drug was having on him sent her heart beating like crazy. Surely this man wasn't going to make them be together, was he? Her breathing became a little erratical too and she tried to get away from the man holding her arm taking a few steps back – just where do you think you're going? – he pushed her forward to stand in front of Steve and put his arms around her, making circles with his hands on her stomach. She started feeling nauseated.

\- You can't do this – she said.

\- You have no idea how much I really want to do this. And if you don't do it, I'm gonna make sure that the last minutes of his life are filled with pain and despair.

Steve hated the fact that he was being used against her like this and he seriously couldn't think of a way to get out of this situation. After placing a kiss on her neck, the man started to take off her pajama shorts and panty, sliding both down as slowly as he could. He enjoyed making his victims suffer. This wasn't the first time he made two people be with each other involuntarily and it always turned him on to no end. Then the man came closer to Steve to remove his pants but found himself avoiding his kicks. One hard slap against Annabeth's cheek and a punch to his gut later, he stopped moving, allowing him to get his pants off and slide them all the way down to his ankles before removing them completely.

Annabeth locked her eyes on Steve's manhood and shivered. It was big and it looked as hard as a rock. The drug sure as hell did it's work. When the man pushed her into his lap, Annabeth let out a sob she couldn't hold anymore. She wanted to die right now. Steve, too, wanted to drop dead at that moment. He couldn't help the reaction his body was having to whatever drug they had given him and now Annabeth was gonna pay the price.

\- I'm sorry – he whispered into her ear – I'm so, so sorry – the man behind Annabeth freed her hands for a moment to guide them forward and around Steve, making her embrace him, and then put the handcuffs on again behind the chair. She had no way of getting up. He undid Steve's restrains as well, only to have his arms surround Annabeth and his wrists locked together again.

\- Alright then – the man announced – you can begin.

Neither of them moved. She was sitting in his lap and his manhood was between their bellies. They were both breathing hard. Annabeth due to the fear, and Steve, due to the drug. When a full minute passed and still no one had made a move, her attacker grabbed her hair and yanked her head up making her groan in pain.

\- Hey! – Steve protested, only to have the barrel of a gun pushed firmly into his mouth.

\- Either you do it now, or you watch how I blow his skull out– he whispered dangerously into her ear. That's when the tears started to roll down her cheeks. There was just no way to avoid this. Steve saw the tears come and his heart broke. Annabeth just nodded and stood up as much as the position let her to guide herself towards Steve's cock. She looked at him in the eyes as if asking for permission or forgiveness.

\- It's okay – Steve said. If this was gonna happen, he was going to make sure she didn't get hurt in the process. With that, Annabeth started lowering herself into his lap once more. This time, though, he went inside her.

Steve had grabbed her by the waist to help her the best way he could with his own wrists handcuffed, and she slowly sat down again until he was completely inside her. Steve's breathing had become a bit irregular and he was having trouble keeping still, the drug making him want to feel the friction of movement again but he wasn't going to move until she did.

Annabeth bit her lip when she felt him entering her inch by inch. It definitely hadn't been as painful as when her attacker had done it, but it still burned a bit because there was no natural lubrication at all. This wasn't a situation that aroused her at all. Quite the contrary and she also knew that whatever Steve was feeling right now was a direct effect of the drug he had been given. That didn't mean though that this wasn't the most embarrassing situation she had ever been on. So the only thing she did was hide her face inside the crook of his neck trying to control her breathing.

\- Are you okay? – Steve asked her, knowing that she must have felt pain. She nodded in his neck but otherwise kept still.

\- Move – the man ordered, but she didn't. She couldn't bring herself to do it. The man gave Steve a look and pointed with his gun at her head, making it clear that if she didn't move, he was gonna have to, or she would get shot. Steve sent a look full of hatred his way before turning to Annabeth and gently whispering.

\- Anna… I have to do this or he's gonna shoot you – he grabbed Annabeth's waist again and pulled her up a bit before setting her down again. The movement made the both of them gasp. Annabeth did it out of pain. He, God forbid, did it out of pleasure – I'm sorry – he almost sobbed. He would never forgive himself for enjoying this, even if it wasn't his fault.

He just wanted to drop dead right now. They both did.

 **Do you officially hate me now? I would understand! I hate myself for doing this to them but once I had the idea a few weeks back I just couldn't stop thinking about it until I sat down and wrote it.**

 **I wasn't even planning on posting it but then I thought: that's what fanfiction's for right? I needed a way to let my imagination go and I thought maybe somebody out there will like to read this.**

 **That being said, I can assure you that absolutely nothing romantic will ever arise between Steve and Annabeth. They are simply victims of a deranged man and whatever their bodies do have nothing to do with what they actually feel for each other. It's just I've wondered how would two people react after something like this happens and how could that affect their relationship afterwards. I just thought it was an interesting subject to venture on.**

 **Again, you have no idea how nervous reading your thoughts make me so I'll be here probably eating chocolate or something non-stop until I read some reviews!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Well, I must apologize for the late update but I've been dealing with some personal stuff and I needed some time away from this site.**

 **Anyway, finally I got writing again and the need to post another chapter soon hit me so, here it is…**

 **Like I've said before, I know this has taken a hard turn and I just can hope that some of you still find it interesting enough to keep reading.**

 **As always, I would like to know your thoughts about it!**

 **Here it is!**

He repeated the motion again, this time widening the gap between them before bringing her down again. He was trying to be gentle. Well, as gentle as he could given the circumstances. He kept a low rhythm despite his body's need to go faster and he kept thinking of a way to get out of that situation.

Apparently, the younger brother wasn't as interested in what was happening as the other two men in the room, seeing as he had gone to other parts of the house undoubtedly searching for anything he could take with him. The third man, the one who had brought Annabeth from her room was kind of transfixed by them and Sean, the instigator of this whole madness, was just a few feet away from the chair.

Suddenly a thought started forming in his head. The chair they were sitting on was actually pretty close to one of the pieces of furniture that adorned the living room and he knew that in the top drawer he had a gun. He had guns in almost every piece of furniture in the house; Danny would surely rant nonstop about his paranoia but he always wanted to be prepared. Since the drawer was at his back, Annabeth should be able to reach it even with her hands tied together. The problem was getting the gun without anybody noticing.

\- Annabeth – he whispered to her – listen to me…

And he started whispering his plan in her ear so no one else heard him. She was breathing rapidly now and the sound helped mask his whispering. She understood what she had to do, but she was having trouble concentrating and getting past what was happening now.

She screwed her eyes shut for a moment longer and steeled herself with anticipation. She needed to do this. " _Think about it like a mission_ " she told herself. " _Get the weapon, conceal it and wait for the opportunity to attack_ ".

Given the angle in which Sean was watching them (having already sat down on a chair in front of them) he couldn't see beyond them and behind Steve's back, where her hands were handcuffed and she tried to reach the drawer. If they could get just a little bit closer she should be able to open it just enough for her to grab the gun. The problem was, the only way to send the chair a couple of inches back without any of the men noticing what was happening, was for them to move a little harder against each other so the movement wasn't suspicious.

She told Steve what they needed to do and they set their minds to it. Suddenly, one of the next thrusts was made with more force and Annabeth pressed into Steve harder than she had been doing before. Two things happened at the same time: the movement sent a shiver up her spine and made her gasp because she felt him go deeper inside her, and the chair tilted back a bit.

Steve looked up at Sean, sending a hateful look his way wanting to check if he had reacted to the movement of the chair; he just had a smile on his face. He turned to the third man and could see that he was so engrossed in what he was seeing that his attention wouldn't deviate from the act anytime soon, if his own arousal (visible under his pants) was anything to go by.

They repeated the motion again and the chair moved another millimeter. Another gasp was heard and Sean's smug smile grew wider. At the third try, Steve had to suppress a groan because the change in rhythm was starting to take its effects, but finally Annabeth was able to reach the drawer.

Ever so slowly she extended her hands and slid the drawer open until she could reach inside and feel the gun. She needed to be careful now because she had to actually take the gun out and hide it between Steve's back and the chair without Sean seeing any of this. The movements they were making actually helped disguise the way she picked up the gun and standing a little bit straighter she brought her hands towards herself as if she needed to hug Steve's neck to keep balance. Doing this, they were able to watch each other in the eyes and they both nodded with their heads. They were flustered and breathing harder than ever, but they had made it. Annabeth then slipped the gun between Steve's back and the back of the chair and he pressed back so it would stay in place and she could let go. After that, she could let go of the gun and bring her hands up and behind the chair as they were before.

So, they had managed to complete that task and now they had a gun. The problem was, their bodies were reacting to the stunt they had to pull and soon things started to change.

Annabeth didn't feel so tight anymore and he actually was sliding in and out of her more easily with each thrust. Somehow her breathing changed again and she kept meeting him thrust by thrust. Her body had awakened and she was starting to feel it.

\- I's okay. This isn't your fault Anna. It's okay – Steve's voice was tight and low and they both couldn't help but pick up the pace they were having. On the other hand, Sean had actually taken their strong moves as a sign that they were enjoying what was happening.

\- Ha! I knew you would like it. Just like you liked it when I did it to you! Maybe you should be thanking me for making this happen for you – the man said from behind her. At his words, Annabeth pressed herself harder against Steve and he could feel the tears wetting his neck. Gosh, this was torture to her!

\- Shut it! – Steve yelled at the man. The other man just laughed.

Annabeth hated herself for this. She wasn't under the effect of any drug and she was still feeling herself getting more aroused by the second. Every time Steve entered her completely she started gasping and she had to bite her lips over and over again to keep herself from moaning. She could tell that Steve was getting more and more excited too by the continuous movement because his hands transformed into fists at her side. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to stop. Instead, she started moving faster than before.

\- I'm sorry – this time, it was her apologizing to him – I can't help it – she gasped again.

\- Shh… don't worry – his voice was so strained that talking started to hurt. He was also straining not to let out any moan.

They kept the rhythm like that until it became unbearable. Annabeth hugged him as tight as the restraints let her and he started to bring her down with as much force as his own let him. This time, Annabeth actually moaned when one of the last thrusts hit her just in the right spot. Steve was feeling himself ready to explode and he also couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips.

\- I think I'm gonna… - whispered Annabeth.

\- Me too – said Steve. And that's when Annabeth felt a pair of hands grab her by the stomach and yank her away from Steve. The sudden stop of movement and friction made them both complain with an involuntary moan and they pulled on their restraints due to the frustration of lack of release.

\- I think that was enough for now – said the man that was currently keeping Annabeth away from Steve – we don't want you to spend yourselves on the first try – Annabeth was in an awkward position with her ass towards the man holding her and her head was hanging now on Steve's chest, which was rising and falling with rapid breaths. The man let her go and she fell between his legs, too weak to be able to stand up.

\- Are you okay? – asked Steve between pants. She nodded, looking at him for a second before averting her eyes. Steve helped her get up and settle on his lap once more. Their pants were the only noise that could be heard in the living room.

\- Time to change tactics – said the man and he freed Annabeth once more, this time making her sit on Steve's lap with her back towards him; her hands were still handcuffed but they were in front of her. This way, her entrance was facing her attacker and she just knew what he was going to do – now that you're all hot and wet, I might as well take advantage of that – and he started removing his pants.

\- No! – Steve yelled – don't do it or you're dead!

\- I don't think you're in any position to be making threats. Speaking of positions… - he came closer and attempted to undo Steve's handcuffs to put them behind his back so they were out of the way. Feeling his hands free, he prepared himself and Annabeth intervened to try and distract their attacker.

\- Please! – Annabeth begged – don't do this please!

\- Too late – he answered. But the millisecond that he opened Steve's handcuffs, he said.

\- Now!

Annabeth kicked forward with all her strength catching the man in the stomach while Steve brought his left hand behind his back and took a hold of the gun. Then, she stood up from Steve's lap but her knees were so weak and she stood up so fast that she got a dizzy spell and fell all the way to the floor. Steve hesitated for a moment, seeing her go down like that but soon had to get his attention back to the other man in the room who was starting to understand what had happened and was reaching for his own gun. Steve lashed out and hit the gun away from his hand before coming closer to the man and hitting him with the butt of his own gun in the temple. The man was out in a second.

He could also feel the blood rushing through his head and his breathing was labored. He turned around just in time to see Annabeth kick at Sean's legs from her position on the floor but the man didn't go down. He was about to hit her when she grabbed the chair they had been sitting on and brought it to her using it as a shield. Her hands were still tied in front of her.

Steve heard a noise coming from behind him and cursed himself for forgetting about the younger brother who had gone inspecting his house and who must have heard all the commotion and come back. He turned just in time to receive a right hook to his face making him stumble a few paces. Suddenly there was a gun pointed at him but he reacted immediately, kicking out and sending it flying elsewhere.

From behind him, he heard a pained grunt and couldn't help but glance around and see that Annabeth had managed to get on her feet again but was so weak that Sean gained ground on her and sent an elbow to her temple. She crumbled and stayed on the floor, not quite unconscious but definitely out of it. Being distracted, Steve left himself open for an attack and he felt something hard hit him on the right side of his body, sending pain through his ribcage. Another kick soon followed the first one and he had to sink to the floor on one knee.

\- Let's go Sean! – yelled the younger brother, deciding that those two kicks were as far as he was going to get upping a Navy SEAL and already heading towards the door. The older brother was looming above Annabeth, malice and lust a terrible mixture in his eyes but after another shout from his brother, his head snapped up. He was right, things had gone out of control and they needed to go. They could always attack at another time.

He took a few steps back and made his way towards the door. Normally Steve would have followed and try to stop them, they shouldn't be able to get away, but given the fact that he was naked, breathing almost uncontrollably and hurt, he decided to just let them go. The farther away they were from Annabeth, the better. He could worry about catching them later. Right now, he had a lot to take care of.

Between the two of them, Sean and his brother carried the semi unconscious body of the third man and left the house. Steve heard the starting of an engine and then the car speed away.

He soon stood up, grunting from the pain in his ribs and went to Annabeth. She was still on the floor and was trying unsuccessfully to get into a sitting position. She was dazed from the hit to her head and weak from their ordeal, so he picked her up and set her gently on the floor near the couch so she wouldn't fall over while he fished their clothes out of the floor. He helped her put her underwear and shorts back on and while doing so, she couldn't help but notice that he was still erected.

\- You're still hard – she whispered with her eyes half closed. Steve looked down and cursed. He was still under the effect of the drug and not having being able to release earlier prevented his erection from going down.

\- Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it – he just put his pants on and helped her get into the couch. Grabbing the handcuff keys that had fallen to the floor during the fight and setting her arms free.

He didn't know what to do now. Should he call the police? Should they go to the hospital? He didn't know what Annabeth needed right now and he was scared out of his mind. What had just happened was meant to have repercussions for the both of them and he didn't know how to deal with it.

 **I think this is the longest chapter I've posted in this story but it needed to be done, I guess I just couldn't find a right place to cut it, so the scene here is complete! In the future chapters we'll get to know just how on earth are Steve and Annabeth going to deal with what happened to them and how are they going to FINALLY CATCH AND KILL THE SOB… because, yes… I don't think I can have him just arrested. I think he needs to die, what do you guys think?**

 **Thanks to those of you who still believe in me!**

 **Aquababy58: I did it! I posted the chapter! Now I need to try and remain calm and optimistic! Thanks for all your support!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Stephanie: thank you so much for your comment; I will definitely continue the story all the way till the end. Glad you're still with me even all the twists the story has had!**

 **Aquababy58: there are not enough words to thank you for your kind review. You know better than anyone how hard this has been for me and even though you don't agree with the turn this story ended up taking, you've always defended my right to write this the way I had planed it at first. You are the best supporter ever!**

 **Now we get to see how they're going to react to what happened in the last chapter. I hope is accurate and if not "good" then at least interesting…**

Annabeth had fallen asleep due to her exhaustion, and maybe also the blow to her head, and he was starting to panic. There weren't many situations in his life that left him this clueless and he really didn't know how to act. He needed help.

The only name that came to his mind was Danny's, but he wasn't sure if he dared put his partner in this situation. This was beyond embarrassing for him and for Annabeth and he wasn't sure if he wanted Danny to know. But who else could he call? He stood up from the floor and had to suppress a moan when the fabric of his pants rubbed against his erection. He looked down and groaned in annoyance. He knew what he had to do to make it go away but he really didn't want to masturbate after what had just happened with Annabeth.

He also couldn't wait for the drug to wear off, though. That could take hours and he wouldn't be able to stand it.

Making up his mind, he ran upstairs looking for his phone, ignoring for the moment the feeling on his groin and dialed Danny's number. They needed help and he knew that, just like him, there wasn't anyone in the world Annabeth trusted more than Danny. It was almost 3 a.m., his partner was just going to love this.

\- What!? – came the angry reply – what is it with you calling at this unholy hour?

\- Danny – his voice was a mixture of raw tightness and fear. It was definitely shaky – can you come to my house? I need help with something – Danny could tell that something had shaken his partner up.

\- What is it? Are you okay?

\- Not really… Danny something happened and I… I don't know what to do. I need your help. Can you come over now? – he didn't just sound desperate. He was.

\- I'm on my way. Hang in there – Danny was looking for his clothes to go over to his partner's.

\- Hurry – Steve whispered before he hung up.

He went down the stairs again and made sure Annabeth was okay. She hadn't moved at all. At least her breathing had gone under control.

He then looked down at the tent his erection made and he sighed. He needed to get rid of that before Danny arrived. Setting his mind to it, he went to the bathroom and focused on his task. The faster he did it, the sooner he would get it over with.

He sat on the toilet and grabbed himself. This was hardly the first time he masturbated, but it was definitely the first time he really didn't want to do it. All he could think about was Annabeth and what had happened in the living room and it just felt wrong to be doing this thinking of her. He also knew that without traffic and after his frantic phone call, Danny wouldn't be too far off. So he started rubbing up and down, sighing when the pain from not releasing slowly disappeared to be replaced by the pleasure of friction. His breathing started to get worked up again and he started moving his hand faster. At least this would be quick.

He felt the tension building up and he moaned lowly to himself. Rubbing faster and harder now, he knew he was close. He just needed a few more minutes. Grabbing hold of the seat, he squeezed one last time before his vision turned red and he finally reached his climax. He sat there panting until he was sure his erection had gone away completely and then he stood up, washed his hands and went outside.

He could hear Danny's camaro screeching to a halt on his front yard and he prepared himself for whatever would happen.

He opened the door and the cool night air against his sweaty chest made him shiver. Danny took one look at him and could tell that whatever had happened had been bad. Steve was pale and sweaty and his eyes had a hunted look that unnerved him. After opening the door, Steve walked inside and Danny followed. He could make out Annabeth asleep on the couch.

\- Steve, what's wrong? – he asked.

\- I… we… - he couldn't speak. He was having trouble breathing and he was getting dizzy. It could have been the remaining effects of the drugs, but he was pretty sure he was just having a panic attack. His eyes glazed over and a few tears escaped his eyes. Seeing this, Danny's heart picked up its pace.

\- Whoa! Whoa! Steve, sit down. Tell me what happened – they both went to the kitchen and sat down on the table. But, for the life of him, he just couldn't talk. He put one hand on his forehead and the other one grabbed Danny's offered hand and they both just stayed there, sitting opposite each other, Steve crying silently and Danny worrying out of his mind trying to determine what had happened – babe, talk to me. What happened? Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?

\- I don't know what to do – Steve sobbed quietly trying to calm down. He looked up beyond his partner and could see Annabeth resting on the couch – damn it! – he whispered and he stood up, letting go of Danny's hand and pacing around the kitchen.

\- Steve, seriously, you're scaring me. Is it your mom? – he tried, thinking that only Doris could have elicited such an emotional response from his usually stoic partner. Steve shook his head and wiped the tears from his face. He needed to get his act together.

\- A few men came in earlier, they drugged me and tied me to a chair. Then they brought Annabeth downstairs – he paused to take a breath. Danny's mind went to every possible torture scenario that could explain Steve's reaction – one of them was the man that attacked Annabeth at the bar.

\- What? – asked Danny, he didn't like where this was going. By now Steve had settled against the kitchen counter.

\- He said he had become obsessed with her and that he found our relationship _interesting_ – he spat – they injected me with something that… that got me… turned on – he was having trouble speaking again. What would Danny think of him after this? But there was no going back now – they were holding guns, he kicked me, then hit her, if we didn't then he would have killed us. Danny we had to… - now Danny was having trouble understanding what Steve was saying.

\- Steve calm down. Take a breath. Now, tell me – he coached him. Steve took a deep breath and continued.

\- They made us be together – he said, looking at his partner in the eyes, feeling tears leave his own again. He slid down to the floor and put his head between his hands – they made us have sex – Danny was speechless. He didn't know what to say. How can someone be so deranged to force two people into doing this?

\- Jesus Steve! – he came closer to him and sat down next to him on the floor – how is she?

\- I don't know – he answered, wiping his face clean again and calming down just a bit – she's exhausted. I think she fainted soon after they left – he explained the fight that had taken place and how things ended. He looked then at his partner - then they left and I didn't know what to do. I called you and I'm sorry for bringing you into this but I just didn't know what to do.

\- Hey! Listen to me. I'm glad you called. You know you can count on me for everything and you're gonna get through this, alright? I'll help you both. You're gonna be okay. We're gonna catch this son of a bitch once and for all and we'll work things out. Okay?

\- Okay – came the shy reply. They heard a noise from the living room and stood up quickly from the floor – she's waking up – Steve said but stopped before reaching the couch, afraid of what her reaction would be. Danny understood his partner's hesitation and he kept going.

\- Annabeth? It's Danny. Are you alright? – she had just opened her eyes and was focusing on Danny but she didn't answer. She tried to sit up and he helped her. Her head was spinning a bit and she put her elbows on her knees resting her head in her hands. Danny sat next to her and put a comforting hand around her shoulders. She was tense and reluctant to give in into the embrace. He could understand why.

\- Oh my God! – she whispered. She sounded so devastated that he couldn't hold back.

\- Anna… - hearing his voice, she looked up at him and tears immediately sprang to her eyes. She started sobbing. He was afraid to come closer but he did it anyway. He kneeled in front of her and put a shaking hand on her shoulder. She looked at him again. At least she hadn't backed away from his touch – I'm so sorry – he whispered, also with tears in his eyes. Suddenly she rushed forward and hugged him like her life depended on it and she started crying her soul out. She was having gut wrenching sobs and was starting to hyperventilate.

\- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to. I didn't want to Steve. Please forgive me, I'm sorry! – she cried and he held her tighter.

\- Shh… shh. It's okay. This wasn't your fault. I'm sorry too. I'm sorry – he whispered and just stayed there. He looked up when his partner put a hand on his shoulder as well and silently thanked him for the support. Right now he was glad that Annabeth wasn't pushing him away, although he never would have held it against her. He thought he didn't deserve her forgiveness. After a while, she calmed down and let him go.

\- What are we going to do now? – she asked.

\- Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital? – asked Danny. She thought about it for a moment, and then shook her head.

\- I'm not hurt – she added.

\- Are you sure? – she nodded.

\- Alright then – said Steve – we should get cleaned up. We won't let him get away this time – Annabeth looked at him and saw the conviction in his eyes. He was right, they weren´t gonna let him go now.

\- I'm gonna shower – she announced and stood up, but the change in position made her feel dizzy and lose her balance. Steve had to grab her by the waist to keep her from falling and she couldn't help it but react and grab his hand to push it away. When she realized that she had flinched away from him, she looked at him and saw the hurt in his eyes. Tears again threatened to fall – Steve I didn't mean to… I'm sorry.

\- Annabeth it's okay. I understand – he said tightly – go shower. I need to clean up too – she took one last look at him and sighed. She started making her way upstairs, trying to hide the tears rolling down her cheeks – what are we gonna do now Danny? – he whispered to his partner, letting him see the hurt of what had just happened.

\- I won't pretend to know what you're going through Steve but you both are gonna need some time to solve this thing. So try to be patient. That was a reflective movement, it doesn't mean she's afraid of you – answered Danny as truthfully as possible – this might take some time but you're gonna get through this. Now, go shower too. It'll soon be morning, I guess we'll be going to the office to try and track this bastard down? – he asked.

\- Yeah… - Steve started to make his way to his bedroom when he turned around and said – thanks Danny.

Danny smiled at him and watched him disappear up the stairs. He took a big breath and went to the kitchen. He started making some coffee. Today was going to be a long day.

 **So, how was it? What about Danny's part on this chapter?**

 **I promise no more horrific scenarios are going to appear. There will of course be mentions of what has happened until they resolve the situations but nothing else will happen like what has happened so far.**

 **NOW we can hope for some well deserved ACTION and ass kicking because the two brothers will NOT get out of this alive!**

 **I'd like to read your reviews! I don't know when I'll be able to post another chapter because I have to write it from scratch. If you have any suggestions as to how you would like the scene where they caught the brothers happen then don't hesitate to throw your ideas in a review! I would really appreciate them!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello there!**

 **This chapter is a little short compared to the previous ones but I really wanted to post something today. It is a bit "quiet", but is a needed preamble to the action that will come in later chapters. They are closing in on the whereabouts of their attackers and now the real chase can begin.**

 **Even though this isn't much, I still hope you can enjoy it!**

When Annabeth entered her room, she locked the door and went straight to the bathroom. She knew it was going to come even before she felt the first need to gag. She went to the toilet and waited the inevitable vomiting that was about to start.

After that she washed her mouth and looked at the mirror. Her eyes were red from crying and she looked devastated. She closed her eyes and couldn't help remembering everything that had just happened. The look of horror on both their faces when they realized what the man was gonna make them do, the shame of having to take Steve's manhood in, the way her body started to react to him, the pain of being denied her release, the fact that they had to let them escape.

And they had to let them escape because they were so off their game by what had happened. How could she ever look Steve in the eyes again?

Suddenly she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She didn't mind that the water was still cold; she could use the shock of temperature to get her act together. After that she needed to talk to Steve. She needed to apologize again because she definitely didn't want to lose him because of this.

It was already dawn by the time she made her way downstairs again. The chairs and the guns had disappeared from the living room, the disaster having already been cleaned out, and she could smell coffee coming from the kitchen. Danny was putting a plate full of toasts on the table and fresh pots of coffee as well. Steve was there already, sipping his coffee and massaging his temple. He had a killer headache. When she entered the room, he looked up at her but she averted her eyes, sitting down on a chair and grabbing her cup of coffee. She put three spoons full of sugar in it. The toasts were left untouched.

After the first uncomfortable silence, she asked.

\- So, what now? Are we going to the office? – the shower had cleared her mind a lot and she was able the regain her composure. This wasn't the first time she was put through an uncomfortable situation and she wasn't going to let the bad guy win.

\- Yeah. I was thinking we should start investigating the tip that we got about the man leaving the islands, it was obviously not true. If that was a trick to get your guard down, then the informant must have been in on it – said Danny.

\- Okay – she answered, drinking the last of her coffee – let's go – she stood up and they followed her.

If anyone had seen them, they would have thought nothing was wrong. Steve had instantly taken the keys from Danny, getting behind the wheel. Annabeth had occupied her seat in the back and Danny went for the passenger seat. They even spent the whole ride talking about what leads they would follow to catch the suspect.

When they arrived at the office, Annabeth was actually thankful that Chin and Kono weren't going to be working that day. They had a family thing on one of the smaller islands and so they had the entire space to work. Right now she couldn't deal with more people knowing what had happened. It was enough that Danny knew and she intended to keep it that way.

Annabeth actually thought she did very well. After the last episode at the house where she had flinched away from Steve, she was concentrating on not doing that again. She knew she had hurt him, and she also knew he understood her, but she didn't want to keep causing him pain. So, whenever they bumped into each other or were too close looking at the same thing over a desk, she made a note to stay calm and unmoving, even when her heart was beating faster than normal.

They needed to talk. She didn't want anything to change between them, but she knew it would take time for things to go back to normal. For now, they could start by catching the son of a bitch that had done this to them.

By midday, they finally got something.

\- Hey guys! – yelled Danny – I think I have something!

\- What is it? – asked Steve, joining his partner and sister at the smart table.

\- We got a hit from the facial recognition program. A camera picked him up near the ports.

\- Okay gear up! – Steve commanded.

They made their way to the port and flashed his photo to a few men wondering around. They all pointed to the same boat repair building and so they made their way over there. They peeked through a window and could see a few people on the inside near the boat that was stationed on the middle of the facility. They checked their weapons and got into position. As always, Steve would break the door creating an entrance, Danny would come in second and Annabeth would bring up the rear. It was how they always did things and they all tried to keep the raid as professional as they could since the beginning, even though they knew, the moment they saw Sean and his brother, Steve would go ballistic and, for the first time, Danny would let him have his way without complaint, even joining him in bringing the SOBs down.

On his mark, the three of them entered the place, guns held high, and covered the area.

 **There you have it. That was chapter 20.**

 **I know, I know… it wasn't much but, as you can see, they are closer now to catching the people who did this to them!**

 **Again, I don't know when I'll be able to post next chapter but I'll start working on it soon. I just don't want to get too caught up with writing and then forget about living real life again.**

 **Anyway… thank you as always for your patience and I hope to read reviews soon!**

 **Until another chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello, hello to everyone there! I'm glad to announce that Chapter 21 is here!**

 **I've been trying to come up with an interesting way to write how Steve, Danny and Annabeth caught up with the SOBs and although this isn't finished (there's still a few more chapters on this) I think it's a good start. Kind of warming up to the action!**

 **Today I got the notification of** ** _Lalaland Resident_** **now following this story and** ** _Roosters1_** **making it a favorite. I really want to say thanks to the both of you and welcome to this story! I would really like to read what you guys think of it so far, what are your thoughts on the plot and of the new character I created for this (Annabeth). I hope you have enjoyed what you've read so far.**

 **Texas50Fan, Stephanie and Aquababy58: thanks for always leaving a comment and encouraging me to keep going! I'd like to know what you guys think of this chapter.**

 **Anyway… enjoy the action!**

In total there were seven people: they easily pinpointed Sean and his brother, Paul, towards the back of the facility. The third guy that had been on the house was there as well, sporting a nasty bruise to his temple and he was engaged in a conversation with two of the remaining men. The last two men were wearing overalls that signaled them as workers and who had been obviously working on repairing the boat that occupied almost half of the space.

When they entered, and yelled for them to get on their knees and put their hands behind their heads, things got a little messy.

The two brothers reached for their weapons and opened fire as soon as they recognized who had caught up to them, making Steve, Annabeth and Danny dive behind some machines to take cover. They returned fire from their hunched position but Steve could see the retreating form of Sean heading towards a back door they had failed to see before and he would be damned if he let the bastard get away again.

\- Danny! I'm going after Sean! Cover me! – and he hadn't even finished talking when he was suddenly already on his feet and chasing after the guy.

\- Wait Steve! – seeing as he had no other choice, he opened fire – sonofabitch! – he muttered at his partner for acting so quickly that he almost gave him no time to prepare.

Soon it was obvious that the two men wearing working attire weren't exactly part of the criminal crew, as they held no weapons of their own and were hiding near the boat and doing their best to stay out of the way. The other ones? Oh they were totally in on it. Danny had to focus his fire towards the couple who had been talking to the third intruder while Annabeth focused hers towards Paul, the younger brother who had also making a run for it and decided to climb up the stair that were etched to the right wall of the place.

\- Danny! I've got Paul! I'm going out! Cover me! – and she was up and running towards the stairs faster than a lightning bolt.

\- Seriously!? – asked Danny, having to change tactics again because Annabeth hadn't given him time to prepare his cover fire either. _Go figure_ … he thought.

So, Steve had already gone through the back door chasing after Sean and Annabeth was making her way up the stairs behind Paul. That left him to handle the other three trigger happy criminal who were currently using him as target practice.

After he provided the necessary cover fire so Annabeth could get to the top of the stair without having to worry about the people shooting from behind the boat, he had to duck to reload his ammunition because he was out. Once ready, he got flat on his stomach and crawled to the edge of the machine he was hiding behind. From this angle, and if his aim was true, he could hit one of the perps behind the farthest corner of the boat. He took position and waited until they guy made more of a target of himself and once half of his body was uncovered, he fired two consecutive shots. One of them imbedded itself on the boat, but the other one found its target and dropped the guy to the floor with a gaping hole on his chest. One down, two to go.

Seeing how one of their own took a bullet to the chest, the other two men took cover again and Danny used the time to send three more shots in their general direction to buy himself some seconds to change positions and leave the machine he was using as coverage behind and running to his left. His intention was to round the boat as much as he could without being seen so that the guys still thought he was behind the machine. He saw one of them peek from around the boat looking at his previous position and when they guy got confident enough to raise a bit more from his hunched posture due to the lack of fire coming his way, Danny fired. Another one down.

Somehow, he thought that trick wasn't gonna work a second time and emptying another round of bullets into the boat, he made his way there looking to drop the last man from a closer perspective. He reloaded his gun again and clicked it ready holding it high in front of him while he made the rest of the way around the boat to the other end in search of his target.

He spotted him at the end of the boat with his back towards him and he couldn't believe his luck (he had managed to snuck on the guy from behind) until he made a noise and the man turned around. Since he had already catalogued them all as trigger happy, it wasn't a surprise as a stray of bullets went flying in his direction but he was quick enough to crouch down to the floor and roll across the floor to his left in a movement worthy of one SuperSEAL, before coming to a stand and dropping the guy with three bullets center mass.

He came closer to him and kicked his gun away, bending down and looking for a pulse, satisfied that he didn't found one.

After that, he quickly went around the boat again looking for the workers and finding them still on the floor cowering away from the action.

\- Five O, get on your knees! Now! – he prompted because the men were slow to act. He didn't think these men had actually anything to do with what was going on but one could never be too careful. He needed to find Annabeth and his partner so he could help them and he couldn't leave any loose ends here – put your hands behind your heads and interlock your fingers – he instructed before stepping behind them and clasping their hands together with zip ties, dragging them all the way to the stairs and, in turn, zip tying the zip tied hands to the railing of the stairs.

He debated for a moment weather to go outside through the back door in search of his partner or going upstairs looking for Annabeth, but he decided to go upstairs since he knew that's what Steve would want him to do. Also, the gunshot he heard from the top floor made up his mind. He raced up the stairs, gun ready and prepared to intervene if necessary.

 **There you have it! Obviously next chapter will be what we've all been expecting: the end of the terrible brothers! So, Steve went after Sean and Annabeth went after Paul… let's see how thing turn up at last!**

 **I don't know why but I always like to write an action chapter kind of from Danny's perspective. This was a little warm up for what is to come and although inspiration hit me pretty out of the blue today, I don't know yet when I'll have the next chapter ready. Hopefully it won't be long because I'm feeling like wrapping this story soon and starting on new projects!**

 **This story has been really hard word for me, especially emotionally, and I'm very fond of it so I will try to make my best bringing it to a end and making it enjoyable for you all the way to the end!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	22. Chapter 22

**WOW! Last chapter got a incredible response from you guys! I was so overwhelmed that I had to go back into writing next chapter immediately! My muse was suddenly on fire and so here's Chapter 22!**

 **I can't believe how fast I wrote this!**

 **Lalaland Resident: thank you soo soo much for your review! I'm glad you managed to catch up with the story again! I'd like to know what you think now of this new chapter.**

 **Stephanie: I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer than the last one. I'm really humbled by your comment and I hope this very quick update satisfies your need to read more! Let me know what you think of the chapter!**

 **Aquababy58: as promised: action, action annnnnnd action! Let's see if this chapter makes you sit at the edge of your sit! As always, let me know what you think!**

 **So, without further a due: enjoy!**

Once she saw Steve heading out the door, she turned her attention back to the boat where people were still shooting at them. They were returning fire but were clearly outnumbered. She wasn't planning on leaving Danny behind to fend off three attackers all by his own, but the moment she saw the younger brother, Paul, running towards the stairs, she lost all sense of procedure and just ran after the guy.

\- Danny! I've got Paul! I'm going out! Cover me! – and she had just run off without paying attention to the boat. She knew Danny would cover her.

She ran after Paul and once she reached the upper floor she put her weapon in front of her ready for anything, but he was nowhere to be seen.

There was a large hall to her left from where you could actually see all the way down to the ground level floor where gunshots could still be heard, but she tried her best to tune those sounds off. She needed to find Paul.

There were just three doors she could see. Two to the left at the end of the hall and one to her right. She decided to clear the one on her right first. She entered with caution examining every inch of the room. There was no one there.

She turned around and headed towards the two rooms at the end of the hall. She walked hunched down through the hall in case a stray bullet made its way to the top floor and once she was clear, she stood straight again. The second room she went into was also empty aside from a couple of desks with computers on them. Obviously it was the central of operation of the repair boat facility. After doing one quick lap around the room, she left.

So now the only other option was the last room to the left.

When she went inside, she could see tons of boxes piled on top of each other leaving only a minimum amount of free space to walk freely, which unfortunately also left a bunch of hiding places. She listened in, in case she caught the sound of footsteps or a heavy breathing but the place was silent. Too silent.

She had only just reached the middle of the room where there was a bit of free space when it happened. A pile of boxes tilted sideways and crashed on top of her. She brought her hands up for protection and she couldn't help but fall to the ground as one box after the other kept falling. Thank God the boxes weren't heavy but after having at least ten of them falling on top of your head, it wasn't a surprise that her vision swam up a little bit and she lost her grip on the gun.

She caught a glimpse of a pair of legs making their way to the door but she lunged herself from the floor and tackled the guy wrapping her arms around his legs and propelling them both towards another pile of boxes. More boxes fell on top of her and she couldn't protect her exposed back as she was too busy struggling to keep a hold of the man who was trying to get free by kicking his legs to her torso.

She grunted and had to let him go but she quickly got up from the floor and put herself between him and the door. She wasn't going to let him leave.

\- It's over – she said, breathing a little bit heavy. Paul's breathing was also a little bit off but she noticed the guy's demeanor wasn't actually tense. He didn't even look concerned. He was calm. She frowned as a memory hit her out of nowhere and she replayed again the scene at the house where she was made to be with Steve. She remembered that Sean and the third man had their attention solely focused on them, but Paul hadn't seemed that interested. He had actually wander around the house while they had been forced to do such a horrible thing – How could you do something like that? – she found herself asking him. The need to understand why would someone force two people into being together in that way suddenly taking over – what did you gain from that? How could you have just stood aside and let something like that happen!? – her anger was also starting to get the better of her.

\- It's just what we do – he answered simply as if she hadn't been talking about something as serious and delicate as raping.

\- " _Just what you do_?" – she repeated – So you have done this before?

\- Why do you care? – he asked coldly. It had been his brother who had assaulted her in the bar, and it had also been his brother the one who seemed to be calling the shots at the house, but there was something about the frivolity of the way this guy was talking to her that sent a shiver down her spine. She wanted to know how could he have been so cool with what was happening at the house? If he wasn't so interested in the act, how could he have stood so carelessly and let the monster that was his brother do that to them? If he didn't get off from it like his brother clearly did, then why did he do it?

But instead, she asked.

\- Why me? – she just wanted to understand – why us?

\- Is there really a good reason? – he answered – my brother liked you and decided to have you.

\- So the goal of your life is to please every single wish your brother has? – while she talked, she was also thinking about how to take him down. She had lost her gun when the first pile of boxes had fallen on her, but she guessed it must still be somewhere around the middle of the room.

\- That's just the way it's always been – he simply said.

He then made a move to grab something from his back and cursed herself for being so stupid to forget that he was also carrying a gun. She jumped to the left just a second before he shot his gun and pushed the pile of boxes directly in front of her towards him. He ducked and covered his head and that's when she jumped on him and the both fell to the floor again.

They struggled for the weapon while boxes were thrown around by their frantic movements. The guy was young but he was still larger and stronger than her. But, she was better trained.

She kept a firm hold on the wrist of the hand that was holding the gun, keeping it away from her body while with her left hand she punched him in the face several times. Even though blood was starting to flow freely from his nose, he was still fighting.

He caught a hold of her next fist with his right hand and, even though she had training, her left hand wasn't her dominant one while the other guy was, in fact, right handed. So he was able to take a firm hold of her fist and extend their joined hands upward, bringing her crashing down on top of him because she lost her balance. While she was falling, he used his body mass against her and turned them over so that now he was on top of her.

They kept struggling for the gun and it actually went off once before they both lost their grip on it and the gun slid to the side. With his hand now free, Paul brought it down to her neck and grabbed a hold of it in a vise like grip. She immediately tensed. If there was something she hated in life, it was people grabbing her by the throat. She had been choked one too many times in her past and the sensation of lack of air combined with the pain of fingers digging into her flesh was horrible. The burning inside her throat while it was being forced to shut closed and the gagging reflex that assaulted her always made her head spin and her eyes water. It also made her remember the moment Sean had held her by the neck while attacking her at the bar.

She really was a good trained spy, and she could face many things but one of her irrational (or maybe very, very rational) fears was being choked to death like this.

Paul must have realized how this was affecting her because he soon had both hands on her neck applying so much force that all income of air was cut off instantly. She tried prying his fingers away and she started kicking her legs but the guy suddenly weighted a ton and his hands were like iron around her throat. Just when she felt like her windpipe was about to break and she had to scrunch her eyes shut with reflexive tears rolling down her face, she felt a tug to her left and the weight of the world being lifted from her.

She instantly took in a big breath and started coughing her insides out. With one hand she clutched her stomach which was seizing painfully with the effort of every cough and, with the other one, she clawed at her own throat trying to get the feeling of his fingers digging deeper and deeper into her flesh. She turned on her side while still trying to catch her breath and saw Danny, who had tackled Paul, roll away from him avoiding being kicked by his legs. The man really liked to use those to kick.

During the tackle Danny had also lost his weapon but he was ready to take down the bastard with his bare hands. But when he turned around to deliver a punch, all he got was a freaking box to the face.

Paul had recovered quickly from the tackle and went to give one of his own to Danny. You gotta hand it to the guy, he was resilient. Danny felt the collision and he landed on a pile of boxes. _Freaking boxes!_ He thought.

Once she was able to get oxygen flowing to her lungs again, Annabeth got into a kneeling position and noticed one of the many guns lying on the floor just a few feet away from her under a bunch of boxes. She rapidly dived for it just at the same time that Paul had managed to get his hands on Danny gun as well. Danny was picking himself up from the floor, struggling to maintain his balance with all the freaking boxes lying around when he saw a gun being pointed towards him.

Three consecutive gunshots were fired and he fell to the floor after staggering a few paces.

The body of Paul Brown hit the floor with a thud and the room went silent.

Danny quickly kicked the gun away from his hands and reached under his jaw to confirm his death. Once he was sure the guy wouldn't get up and attack again, he turned to Annabeth who was kneeling on the floor holding the recently fired gun in her hands.

\- Are you okay? – he asked her. She nodded still trying to catch her breath.

\- What about… you. The…men down…stairs? – she gasped.

\- Three dead, two secured – he answered.

\- Where…Steve? – she asked.

\- I suppose he's laying all his super powers on top of Sean – he said, helping her stand up. He recovered his weapon and took her hand leading her out the door – let's go find that SEAL.

And they both made their way through the hall and down the stairs, passing the boat and living the rest of the bodies and the two tied up men behind until they reached the back door where Steve had disappeared right after Sean.

They positioned themselves on either side of the door and readied their weapons.

\- Ready? – Danny asked.

\- Let's go – Annabeth said.

 **FINALLY! One brother down, another one to go! Did you like they way this brother was taken down? Can you guess what happens in the next chapter? I have to figure out and epic way for Steve to kill the remaining SOB, so maybe I'll work on that tomorrow!**

 **I really really hope you guys liked this chapter and I'd love to hear your comments about it!**

 **Any specific request on what should Steve do to Sean? I'm totally open to suggestions!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	23. Chapter 23

**And here we have Chapter 23! I am sooooo excited that I got to write this today! I have to admit that I'm kind of proud of how this chapter turned out and I really hope you like it! I can't wait to know what you think of it!**

 **I won't make you wait any longer so, without anything else to say: ENJOY!**

The minute he saw Sean's form retreating into the back of the facility and heading towards the opened back door, he knew what he needed to do. He didn't care how many people were currently shooting at them and he didn't mind exposing himself while he got up and run for the door. Just after a brief glance to ensure that neither Danny nor Annabeth had been injured during the first assault of bullets, he had shouted.

\- Danny! I'm going after Sean! Cover me! – he didn't even heard the curse his partner had sent his way before he, too, disappeared behind the door that only seconds before Sean had slipped through.

The door led him to an open wide space that served both as a dumpster and a parking lot for a few rotting looking vehicles. Once he stepped outside, he pointed with his gun quickly on either side of him covering every direction Sean could have taken before he spotted him running to the end of the facility they had been on and disappearing behind the corner. Steve held down his weapon with his right hand and went running after him.

Just before reaching the corner of the building, he pressed himself against the wall and brought his gun up again, peeking carefully to the other side.

This side of the building faced a part of the docks reserved for the bigger boats that actually could qualify as cargo ships or really big industrial fishing ships. There were three long piers with boats tied to either side of them, and far from being clear walkways, all the wooden piers were flooded with ropes, anchors, big trash cans, cleaning supplies, repair and maintenance machinery and a bunch of other stuff that made the path all the way to the end not only difficult but filled with places were Sean could have ducked behind ready to open fire the minute he approached either of the three piers.

Once he had peeked though, he couldn't wait forever for Sean to make a sound or a movement to let him know his position; he needed to act first. He contemplated the best way to approach the situation. If he had been looking for an escape route he would consider highjacking one of the boats and heading into open sea were, at least for a good half an hour, Steve wouldn't be able to chase him down. He would choose one of the smallest boats so he could maneuver it better and, seeing the smallest boat on this side of the ducks was anchored on the third pier, he made his way over there hoping his instincts were right.

He came closer to the first boat and peered around, making a mental map of everything he could see between himself and the end of the pier were the smallest boat was ducked. He glanced up in case he saw Sean actually _inside_ one of the boats and pointing his gun at him from above but the place seemed deserted.

So he slowly and carefully stepped on the pier holding his gun high with the finger on the trigger, moving efficiently covering every possible hiding place while he made his way towards the end.

Later he realized that he had a tendency to always search the places on his right side first and then turning around and searching the ones on the left, not only in this situation specifically, but every time he approached a situation like this he always looks first to the right; and that's why he failed to see the metal pipe coming his way until it was just a second too late.

Sean had been hiding on a small space between a boat and a big garbage can with a rather large and heavy tube on his hands ready to bring it down the moment he saw McGarrett step into his line of vision. Steve had tried to use his left hand to protect himself, hoping to deflect the blow and then angle his weapon to aim and fire, but the blow held so much force behind it that the only thing he registered for a moment was an incredible amount of pain and a sickening sound that signaled his forearm had just been broken. The pipe was so long that it actually managed to hit him in both arms, making him drop his gun to the floor and watch helplessly as it went over the side of the pier and into the water.

He couldn't hold back the scream of pain that escaped his lips when his broken arm came in contact with the floor. He could swear he felt the bone fragments inside grate against each other and the fiery hot pain was almost unbearable. Either way, he had to suppress the urge to just cradle his arm and wait for the wave of agony to pass because there was a more pressing matter to attend to: to avoid getting hit by the stupid pipe again, which was coming down again looking to make contact with his head.

He quickly rolled out of the way and stood up, putting a few feet of distance between his attacker and him and evaluating the best way to approach him and take him down. He was keeping his left arm close to his chest trying his best not to jostle it too much.

Sean was standing with both hands holding the pipe like it was a baseball bat and grinning like a maniac. He took one stepp forward and Steve took one step back, keeping the same amount of distance between them. He studied his opponent for a moment and the look on his eyes unnerved him greatly: his eyes were just a little bit glassy and his smile was turning from maniac to downright hysterical. This man couldn't be on his right mind and that made him just the more dangerous.

\- You liked it didn't you? – asked Sean, eying Steve carefully, his eyes lingering on his broken arm just a little bit longer than necessary. _Yep, the guy was definitely out of his mind._ Steve thought to himself.

\- Shut up! – Steve yelled as a way of answering. The other man just kept grinning with a glee in his eyes.

\- What did you do to get rid of your erection huh? Did you fuck her again? Did she make you come? – the man was clearly insane. Steve's vision suddenly turned red and he disregarded any safe approach, choosing instead to just throw himself at the guy.

He hadn't felt so much rage going after anybody since he first arrived to the island looking for his father's killer, Victor Hesse, and chasing him into that Chinese frater. All he wanted right now was to punch the life out of this sick son of a bitch, and so he lunged forward.

He ducked the swing of the pipe and barreled into Sean hitting him with his shoulder on the midsection, hopefully sucking the air out of his lungs. He landed awkwardly on top of him, not being able to use his left arm for support, but managing to keep his balance enough to land the first of many punches to the man's face.

He hit him once, twice, three times while remembering all the things this crazy person had done to his sister, both at the bathroom of that bar and at his house, invading their home and making them trespass limits that should have never been even considered. He let his anger fuel every one of his punches and by the time he stopped to catch his breath, Sean's nose was completely broken and blood was spilling from it and also from his mouth. But the guy wasn't unconscious.

Somehow he had managed to keep his hold on the pipe and, using first one of his free hands to grab Steve's left arm and twisting with all his strength, he brought the pipe around and hit him on the shoulder.

The hit wouldn't have been strong enough to send him off to the side, but the twisting grip Sean had on his broken arm had him seeing stars in his vision and grunting with the agony that involved someone constantly jerking a broken limb. Nausea suddenly took over and dizziness made itself know soon.

Sean had taken advantage of his moment of weakness by standing up, still with a death grip on his broken arm, and dragging him by it until the edge of the pier. Steve had to actually follow him because resisting would mean trying to yank his arm free and he knew that the moment he pulled against the force Sean was using to drag him, he would pass out from the pain in his arm.

They made it to the edge of the pier but before Sean could do anything to him, he brought his right arm towards his legs and punched him behind one of his knees, making him loose his balance just enough for Steve to then take a hold of one of his ankles and pull towards him, effectively making Sean fall to the floor as well. Somehow, during their clumsy stagger toward the edge and after the punches Steve had thrown to make Sean fall, he had ended up face down on the floor with half of Sean's body on top of him and he had to yell again because now Sean had twisted his left arm behind his back.

Sean was now gasping with the effort of holding the SEAL down and Steve couldn't help but notice something hard poking him on the side of the leg were Sean was currently sitting. He looked down and saw it and, for all that was holly and sacred in the world, he could not believe what was happening: Sean was getting off from this!

Now he really wanted to throw up. The guy was getting hard by subduing a stronger person than him and after this, Steve had definitely no doubt that this man was completely sick.

Well, damn him if he was going to allow this to go any further. He had already let the fight go on long enough, rage blinding his movements and sending his fighting skills over the board because he had been too busy letting his anger towards this man guide him. So, with renewed strength, he skillfully and efficiently sent his right elbow back and hit the man in the face, making him loose his balance just enough to roll from underneath him and turning around to kick him as hard as he could on his groin, eliciting a grunt of pain and sending him over the edge and into the water.

Unfortunately, Sean had taking a really good liking to his left arm and hadn't let go, making Steve dive into the water right after him if he wanted to avoid the pain of having his arm pulled more than it already had.

Sean was hanging into his left arm as if it was a lifeline and the pain from the grip was making him sick, but they were in his home turf now. They were in the water, and soon Steve had maneuvered himself to be behind Sean, using one of the arms holding into his left one to grab him in a choke hold, ignoring his own pain, while reaching down with his free and uninjured right hand into the inside of one of his boots where he always kept a knife hidden and bringing it up to rest at the base of the other man's back.

Gathering up his strength, he plunged in the knife.

\- No one… - he hissed.

He took the knife out

\- Touches…

The knife sank back in

\- MY…

Knife out

\- FAMILY! – he yelled.

And with a final push, he sent the knife back in twisting it along the way and witnessing kind of morbidly the way Sean's body jerked with every last breath until life finally left his body and he let him go.

Steve was breathing heavily and the moment he felt the grip around his left arm loosen, a wave of pain hit him again and he moaned/grunted/whimpered holding his abused left arm toward himself while trying to keep afloat on the water. He kicked his feet a few times, getting closer to the edge of the pier and bringing his right arm up, which was still gripping the bloody knife, and taking a hold of the wooden floor.

He tried to hoist himself up, but failed at the first try. He didn't think he had the strength to climb back up without both his arms working properly and, sure enough, when he tried to do it again, his arm gave out and he sank into the water again, dropping the knife into the pier and having to kick furiously with his legs to keep himself afloat. He took a couple of breaths and tried for the third time to get up, and just when he felt his right arm give again, two sets of hands (one pair big and strong, and the other one slightly smaller and gentler) picked him up and helped him climb all the way back into solid ground, where he lay panting and trying to clear the fog from his mind.

 **Oh my! This was really really fun BUT hard to write! I really hope the way Sean was taken down was enough to satisfy your own hunger for revenge and I hope I didn't write the chapter a little bit too over the edge!**

 **I CAN'T wait to know what you guys think of this! I already have a few ideas as to how next chapter is going to play and poor Stevie needs to have that arm looked at!**

 **I also wanted to let you know that this story is coming to an end soon, what with the brothers dead and all. I think a few more chapters are in order and then that'll be it. DON'T WORRY though, I have A LOT of ideas for other stories featuring Steve, Danny AND Annabeth and apparently my muse is hungry for work, so it won't be long before I start posting something else!**

 **Anyway… I really hope you guys leave a comment letting me know what you think of this chapter!**

 **I'll be waiting!**

 **Until next time!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello! I'm back already! I wanted to bring the action and drama down a little bit and introduce a bit of humor here, so I hope I was able to manage that.**

 **Thanks to those of you who reviewed last chapter: Aquababy58 and Stephanie! You're awesome! I hope to hear from you after this update!**

 **Enjoy!**

\- Steve, are you okay? – asked Danny, worried because his friend seemed to be in a world of pain if his scrunched up face was any indication – were you hit?

\- I'm fine – came the obvious and totally expected reply. He was sitting on the floor with his knees drawn to himself, cradling his left arm and dripping wet from head to toe. Annabeth was kneeling next to him and Danny was hovering over the both of them still at attention in case someone else came at the out of nowhere.

\- Sean? – asked Annabeth hesitantly. Steve tilted his head up and held her gaze for a second before answering.

\- Dead – he said, and just to make sure the message got across without a hint of doubt, he repeated – he's dead – she closed her eyes a released a big breath.

\- Good… good – she then looked further away from the pier they were standing on and into the water to make out the floating body of the man who had turned her world 180° degrees over a week ago. She sighed again and started telling herself that at least half this nightmare was over. The other half would begin when she and Steve faced what had happened at their home; but this was not the time or the place to do it.

\- What about Paul? Everyone else? – asked Steve.

\- Paul's dead too. The two workers are currently secured on the inside and everyone else is dead – said Danny – it's over. Hey, what's wrong with your arm? – he asked, seeing the way his friend kept his left arm pressed close to his body and the disturbing color that the skin was starting to acquire.

\- It's broken – he answered, having to hold his left arm with his right one because the throbbing pain had intensified since coming out of the water. They all examined the limb and knew that this was worse than any normal break. There were bruises with the shape of fingers all over his left forearm that were turning a nasty shade of purple, but that was nothing compared to the black shadow that expanded underneath those marks from his wrist to his elbow. Apart from that, it was terribly swollen and by now it was obvious that every single movement, even the smallest one caused him a great deal of pain.

\- Let me ask you something – started Danny in that tone of voice that suggested he was warming up to initiate one of his famous rants – what is it that compels you to use your left arm as if it was Captain America's shield ah? You use it to stop bullets; to deflect knifes, to hold the side of freaking mountain cliffs! And now you hand it over so that someone can break it with… what? A boat anchor?

\- It was a metal pipe – Steve corrected – and it would have been just fine if the crazy son of a bitch hadn't decided to hang into it and twist it every five seconds.

\- It would have been just fine? Just fine? – Danny continued to ask almost indignantly – because having your arm broken with a pipe is totally fine but having it jerked around is suddenly too much?

\- Yeah, that's about right – he simply stated.

\- Apparently you don't have a whole lot of love for your left arm, do you? – Danny finished asking. Annabeth and Steve could see that Danny was genuinely trying to raise a point here, but the rant was so ridiculously normal that they had to try and suppress their giggles to finally give into the laughter that earned them a half glare from the Jersey detective. But, the truth was, Danny was glad he could help easy some of the tension from the group. Although, that didn't take away the fun of feigning annoyance - that's right, laugh now but don't come complaining next time something happens to your arm. You were insufferable the first few days of having that cast on – Steve just smiled at that.

\- Just help me up will you? – he said and extended his right arm so Danny could take his hand and help him get to his feet. They could hear distant sirens approaching the facility and knew that the police must have been informed about what had happened there. Probably someone calling to report a lot of gunshots and what must have sound like a gang war – I'll go brief HPD into what went down here and then we can let them process the scene and handle the bodies. No more need for us to be here than necessary. Then he started walking towards the front of the building making sure to keep a tight grip on his arm. Before Danny began to follow him though, Annabeth grabbed him by the arm to stop him.

\- Thank you… for being cool about all of this – she said sincerely. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently but firmly.

\- You'll get over this. You both will – he stated looking her directly in the eyes – I'm gonna be here for you every step of the way, but you're stronger than all of this – and by the moment he finished, she stepped closer and gave him a hug.

\- Thanks – she whispered, and then they made their way together towards the now arriving cars of HPD. They made it just in time to hear Steve finishing his explanation to an officer.

\- … inside. There's also a body that needs to be recovered from the ocean right by the third pier on the left side of the place – the officer soon made his way to his men to start coordinating the scene and Steve turned to his partner and sister with a strange expression on his face.

\- What? – asked Annabeth. Steve swallowed tightly with a frown on his face. He also looked something close to embarrassed.

\- I think I need to go to the hospital – he said because the pain in his arm was really making him nauseated and dizzy.

\- You think!? – said Danny exasperated – what were you planning to do before huh? Cover it in duck tape and swallow just a couple of Tylenol? Just get in the car you goof… at least I'll be able to drive for once. And he started to make his way to the Camaro walking a little bit faster than necessary. If SuperSEAL himself admitted that he needed to go to the hospital, then his arm must have been literally killing him and he didn't want to waste any more time before heading to the hospital. Annabeth and Steve followed him close behind.

 **There you have it. I wanted to do something kind of different with this chapter and that's why it was just one big dialogue from top to bottom. I think it was a way to freshen up a little bit the action and drama and also, a good way to introduce some humor right into the mix. Did you enjoy it or did you find it tedious to read? Either way, next chapters will be written normally.**

 **Now that both brothers are dead and they can finally star to move forward, the only thing left to see is how Steve and Annabeth are gonna get through and over what happened to them. It's time to heal the wounds (both physical and emotional) and that's what will happen on the next chapter.**

 **I THINK next chapter will be the last one. I still have to think if there's anything else I'd like to add to the story but, so far, this will come to an end on the next update. As I've said before: this is NOT the end of our characters because I have a lot of stories to write about them!**

 **I hope to hear your comments soon!**

 **Until next time!**


	25. Chapter 25

**SURPRISE! Here's the final chapter of this story! I wanted to give you a surprise so this is the BIGGEST chapter I have ever written! I hope the end of this story is satisfying for you and I'd like to thank all of you who kept coming back to read it and review.**

 **I would specially like to dedicate this final chapter to my dear friend AQUABABY58, without whom I would never have finished this story! Thank you so much for all your support and encouraging words. You more than anyone know what finishing this story has meant for me.**

 **Anyway, I'll keep talking at the end of the chapter but, for now, I'll let you enjoy it! Remember to let me know what you think!**

The ride to the hospital was really quiet. Expect for the occasional smart ass comment from Danny about SuperSEALs and their superhero complex, they mostly kept to their thoughts.

Annabeth was starting to come to terms with the fact that Sean and Paul were both really dead and that they wouldn't come back to hurt her or mess with her anymore. Not that she thought there was more they could do; they had already screwed up with her life royally. It was one thing that she had being attacked at the bar; yes, she was angry and ashamed about that, but it's not like it hadn't happened before. Sho Wun had done it in way worst conditions all those years ago and she wasn't stupid, she knew the dangers that being a woman… a girl… in her line of work could entail and she had learned to live with that. But being forced to have sex with her own brother was almost too much for her to handle.

When she had come to Hawaii she had been in a dark place emotionally. She believed she was alone in the whole world and agreeing to take on the most dangerous missions in hope that she wouldn't come back from them alive. She wasn't proud of thinking like that but she had accepted that as her fate. And that's why being found by the same person that had rescued her from Sho Wun had been a blessing. Steve had literally saved her life again. Being introduced to the team and being welcomed into their Ohana was more than she could have expected and finding out later that Steve was actually her brother had given her a real sense of belonging.

She didn't want to lose what had slowly become a good life. She had a great job with Five 0, she was part of an amazing Ohana and she had actually discovered family here. She was no longer in that dark emotional place but she was starting to feel trapped again.

Now that the hunt for the brothers is over, they were gonna have to face what had happened and, suddenly, she didn't want to do it. She didn't want Steve to tell her that he couldn't handle being close to her again; she didn't want him to tell her she couldn't live with him anymore. What would she do if she had to leave Five O because things got too awkward between them? Where would she go next?

Her eyes started to glass over and the knot inside her throat was becoming increasingly painful. She tried taking a few deep breaths without making noise because she didn't want the other two occupants of the car to notice her distress.

Not that they would have, because they were too busy with their own rolling emotions.

Danny's gaze traveled constantly between the road ahead of them and his partner sitting next to him with his head resting on the seat and his eyes clenched shut almost painfully. He was holding his left arm with such force that his arms were starting to tremble.

He was worried. He knew that a broken bone hurt like a bitch and Steve had endured much more than that in his life but another look at the limb in question told him again that this was much more serious. If the arm had been swollen before, he didn't know what to call the inflamed reaction now. You could barely distinguish the wrist from the rest of the forearm and the fingers were getting so big that they wouldn't be able to flex even with help. There were parts of the skin that were colored red, others were purple, others green, but the main color was simply black.

He knew his partner was hurting badly when he couldn't stifle the groan that escaped his lips when the car hit a bump in the road and he made a mental note to avoid those carefully from now on. They weren't that far away from the hospital and they would be there in less than five minutes.

Steve, on his end, just tried to concentrate on breathing and blocking out the pain but he was failing miserably at that. He remembered breaking bones before. An ankle some time when he was a kid, a few ribs on various occasions during his career and his left arm (as Danny had gladly reminded him) when he fell off that mountain; but he couldn't remember it hurting as much as it hurt now. He was honestly starting to prefer the pain of a gunshot wound than this constant throbbing, the pressure inside his arm, the heat that pulsed in compass with his rapid heart rate and the need to hold his forearm even harder with every passing second searching for some kind of relief from the pressure but just making it worse all the same. For once in his life he couldn't wait to get to the hospital so they could give him something for the pain. _That's_ how much it hurt.

When they finally made it to the ER, Steve had trouble getting out of the car on his own. When he had tried the first time, the change in position brought an onslaught of pain to his injured arm and he had to drop back down into the seat gritting his teeth and hissing while trying to not pass out from the wave of dizziness that hit him. But he didn't have to wait too long before Danny and Annabeth came around and helped him get on his feet and walk towards the gates where a wheelchair was put behind his knees and he was forced to sit down.

They rushed him into one of the triage rooms and luckily they were able to go inside with him.

\- Sir – said a nurse talking to Danny – we need you to remove the vehicle from the ER entrance – he looked towards his friend with doubt in his eyes but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder.

\- It's okay. I'm staying with him. Go park the car and then come back.

\- Yes, all right – he said heaving a deep sigh and then went out of the room and towards the exit.

They had placed Steve on an examination gurney but they were told they needed to wait for a while because the ER was actually pretty full that day and Steve's injury wasn't exactly life threatening. So they just made him lay on the gurney, gave him a slight blanket and just a couple of oral painkillers before leaving them alone in the room to wait for a doctor.

At first the silence was a bit uncomfortable until she couldn't take it anymore and broke it with a simple question.

\- How are you holding up? Are the painkillers working? – he opened his eyes to look at her.

\- I'll live – he said slowly – I think…

\- So… the painkillers helped?

\- Not really – he grunted.

A few minutes later a nurse came in to take his vitals and start writing the patient chart but she left without further explanations or without saying when a doctor would be by.

\- Annabeth listen – Steve started and she knew he wanted to talk to her right then but she wasn't ready. She hadn't even figured out a plan of action if the worst came to happen. So she interrupted him quickly but gently.

\- Steve, we can talk about it later okay? You're hurting, you should rest a bit before the doctor comes in – then she avoided looking at his eyes and that's why she missed the pained gaze he sent her way, a pain that had absolutely nothing to do with his broken arm.

His thoughts were a little confused by the pain coming from his arm, but he couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be it for them. Would she push him away disgusted by what he'd done? Would she leave their home saying that she couldn't stand being near him? He would never blame her if she did, but the thought scared him to death. He didn't want her to leave. So many people in his have had left that he didn't know if he could handle another loss. He was desperate to talk to her, to apologize again for not being strong enough to protect her and for letting them get caught in that situation, but she had made it clear she didn't want to talk now, and so he took a deep breath to keep his emotions in check and closed his eyes, turning his head towards the ceiling.

They were both glad when Danny came back into the room, breaking the silence by ranting about the fact that Steve had to wait for so long to get checked out by a doctor. He was even considering flashing his badge around to get some movement out there but just before reaching the door, a doctor stepped into the room with heavy eyes and a tired face.

\- I'm sorry that you have waited so long Commander McGarrett, but the Emergency Room is totally hectic today and we are short on staff – he said – my name is Doctor Kaiko.

\- It's okay – Steve replied calmly.

\- Now, let's take a look here.

He examined his left arm and what he found was definitely not good. He didn't need x-rays to tell that the fracture was bad, but either way he ordered them to be sure of the extent of the damage. Annabeth and Danny had to step outside and go to the waiting room while Steve was ushered somewhere else to have the x-rays taken.

In the meantime, Danny had offered Annabeth something to eat but she had refused. She knew if she ate anything now, she would get nauseated. She knew Danny was worried about her so she tried to put on a brave face saying that she really wasn't hungry and that also she appreciated his concern but that she wasn't in the mood to talk now.

\- You should get that checked out – he said.

\- What? – she asked in confusion. Danny pointed at her neck.

\- You have some bruises there. They're looking darker and darker by the second – she brought a hand to her neck and pressed gently. It hurt, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

\- I'm fine. It doesn't hurt too much and there's nothing they can do here about it. It's just some bruising, it'll fade.

\- I would feel more comfortable if someone took a look. Come on – he insisted.

\- And I would be more comfortable if we stopped talking about it – she suddenly snapped regretting it instantly. It wasn't Danny's fault that she was feeling angry. He had been nothing but supportive since this whole thing started. It wasn't his fault that she was starting to feel trapped inside her own dark thoughts. So she took a big breath and turned to him – I'm sorry. I know you're concerned but really I'm fine – she said in a more gentle tone – besides, the place is full. I don't want to add to the hectic ER room by complaining for some bruising – he put an arm around her and held her close.

\- Okay. But you should put some ice in it when you get home – he came closer and kissed her temple and she leaned into the embrace, glad for the comfort it provided.

Half an hour later, Steve was brought back and the lines of pain that had decorated his face for the past two hours had decreased somewhat. Now he had an IV line going directly into the back of his hand and he was finally getting some of the good stuff. Danny and Annabeth were allowed in again and the doctor started explaining the results.

\- You were extremely lucky Commander – he began.

\- Yeah, I didn't feel so lucky before – he retorted back.

\- I can imagine. You did sustain quite an ugly injury but, despite the seriousness of the break, I'm confident that you do not require surgery. From what you told me, the man that you fought jerked your arm around a few times after breaking it but, as I've said before, luckily for you, all he did was increase the swelling around the limb and not create more damage to the bone itself. So after setting it straight, all we need to do is put a cast on it and you'll be able to go home. Don't get me wrong, it will hurt a lot especially during the first few days but I'll prescribe some strong painkillers to help you with that. Do you have any questions? – the doctor finished.

\- How long do I have to wear it?

\- Initially the cast must stay on for at least six weeks. After that we need to evaluate again – he smiled a little when he heard his patient complain – just consider this better than the alternative, which would have been surgery and a recovery of almost six months.

\- Great – was all he said.

\- Good. Now I'll cast your arm briefly and then you can go home.

The process didn't last more than another hour and soon after the saline drip was finished, they discharged him. They got into the car again and stopped at a pharmacy to fill the prescript medication.

Danny drove a very quiet Annabeth and a pretty high Steve back home and stayed with them for a while. He stood long enough to ensure that Annabeth put some ice on her neck and to help them make something light to eat for dinner. The three of them ate together making small talk about the news Steve had gotten from HPD concerning the scene at the port. All the bodies had been accounted for and the two workers had been released since their stories checked out, they had nothing to do with what had went down at the facility.

They would have to file a report the next day but, for now, everything was settled and they could concentrate on resting and finally putting the nightmare that was the Brown brothers behind them.

A littler after nine, Annabeth excused herself saying she was too tired and retired to her room. She thanked Danny for helping them again and waved a timid goodbye in Steve's direction.

Once she was out of sight, Steve and Danny stayed at the table for a few more minutes.

\- Are you sure you don't want me to stay? – asked Danny. Having to repeat himself again because Steve's mind was so far away that he hadn't heard him.

\- What?... no, it's okay. You can go home. You've done enough Danny. Really, thank you – he said. His partner eyed him suspiciously.

\- Are you still high? – Danny asked.

\- What are you talking about? – Steve asked confused.

\- Oh it's just that normally signs of gratitude don't come so easily out of you. I usually have to yell at you and make you see the wrong of your ways before you actually agree to either apologize for something or just say thank you – Steve smiled at him.

\- I'm not high. That stuff wore out hours ago.

\- Oh then I guess you're just tired – Danny replied. He was glad he could get a smile out of his friend – now, make sure you take those painkillers. No need to play superhero tonight and you call me if you need anything at all.

\- Okay – Steve said.

\- I mean it Steve – Danny replied, looking at his partner in the eyes while they both stood up from the chairs – whatever you need you call me, okay?

\- Yes Danno – he said with a tight voice because emotions suddenly got stuck on his throat. He embraced his partner and best friend, careful not to press to hard with his broken and recently casted arm – thank you for everything man. I wouldn't have made it through today without you – Danny patted his back and then stepped back.

\- Any time partner. Now, I know it's too early still but you gotta talk to her. Don't let her push away. Let her know we'll all be there for her.

Steve nodded, unable to actually verbally reply and accompanied his partner to the door.

After Danny left he walked around the kitchen putting everything back to its place and then he too called it a night and went to his room.

A little after midnight, Steve was still awake. Every time he tried to fall asleep, images of what had happened last night assaulted him and he was restless. A few minutes later and he heard the TV down stairs being turned on and he knew Annabeth couldn't sleep either. If he knew his sister at all, he supposed they both wouldn't be able to sleep unless they talked about what had happened between them, so he got up and put a shirt on. He made his way downstairs.

He found Annabeth sitting on the middle of the couch hugging her legs to her chest and with her eyes fixed on the TV. It had no volume though; she was just staring at the images.

\- Hey… - he said, coming closer to the couch – mind if I sit? – he asked.

She just shrugged and made room for him, never once taking her eyes from the television. She knew what was coming and she started to put up her defense wall, trying to get her emotions in check and lock them away. She needed to face this conversation with professionalism. She wasn't ready yet for him to tell her that nothing would ever be the same, but if this was happening now, she needed to keep calm.

\- Couldn't sleep? – she shook her head – want to talk about it? – he tried.

\- Not really – her voice was low but fortunately it didn't waver.

\- We're gonna have to talk about what happened sooner or later, you know that right? – his voice wasn't exactly hard, but it wasn't gentle either. She thought he sounded like that because what he was going to say next would be exactly what she feared and so she could feel her defenses starting to crumble. The truth was, his voice sounded that way because he was struggling to keep his emotions in check too – what are you think about? – he asked, trying to start the conversation lightly. She then resigned herself that this was happening no matter what, so she just talked.

\- I'm scared – she said softly.

\- He can't hurt you anymore. He's dead. They're both dead and they're never coming back.

\- I'm not scared of _them_ – she said but realized her mistake when Steve went quiet – I'm not scared of you either – she quickly added. Steve swallowed.

\- Then what? – he asked.

\- I'm scared of what this means for us. I don't want things to change between us but I'm scared of how I felt _being_ with you – she ended up whispering, hiding her face between her knees. Steve closed his eyes too and took a deep breath before answering.

\- Listen Annabeth, whatever you felt last night it wasn't your fault. We were put on an impossible situation and it was either that or getting killed. We were both violated last night Anna – he finished, keeping his voice low and calm for her sake. This was a difficult subject for him too, but he needed to be strong for her. She tilted her head to the right and he could see tears pooling at her eyes.

\- But I got close – she sobbed, thinking about the way she almost reached climax with him – how can that mean I didn't want what was happening? What if I _did_?

Right along with the thoughts and fears of their changing relationship, once she had gotten to bed earlier she had started to analyze the events of the night before. She couldn't help it as image after image came rushing to her mind and she started to remember everything she felt. She was scared of what that could mean and that's why she was voicing her fears now.

Steve sighted, how was he going to explain this? It was so embarrassing.

\- Look, the body is a complicated system. Sometimes it has reactions, natural reactions that are beyond our control. When is touched and pressed on the right spots, it stars to react and that doesn't mean that you agree with what is happening. I… I was feeling things that I didn't want to feel – he confessed – but I couldn't help it.

\- Yeah but you were drugged. I wasn't.

\- That doesn't change the fact that you were made to do something you didn't want to – she suddenly put her head into her knees again as her tears started to fall.

\- This is all my fault – she said.

\- What? How can this be your fault?

\- If I hadn't gone to that bar, or if I had been more alert, he never would have gotten to me and he wouldn't have come back – the tears kept falling.

\- We've talked about this. You're not invincible, you can make mistakes too and no one else is to blame but him. He's the one who was sick enough to do something like this – after that they stayed in silence for a while until he started talking again – Anna I need you to forgive me – he begged because he couldn't hold it back anymore. Hearing the pain in his voice she looked up at him, confused by his words.

\- What are you talking about? – she asked.

\- I'm your big brother and I let this happen. They overpowered me and I couldn't stop them from doing this to us. I just… I need… can you forgive me? – she kept looking at him perplexed.

\- There's nothing to forgive – she said somewhat angrily, and that's what he had feared all along. She wouldn't forgive him for what he had let happen. He swallowed painfully.

\- Look, I understand. If you don't want to be around me anymore it's okay – he prepared himself to say the most painful words that had ever left his mouth – if you want to leave, I… I understand. I won't stop you – she couldn't even begin to form a coherent response now. Her heart was hammering in her chest. This was really happening, her worst fear coming true.

\- You… - she gasped – you want me to leave? – she asked sobbing again – listen I'm sorry about what happened but I just don't want things to change between us. I get it if you don't want to be near me anymore but… - and she couldn't finish talking because her sobs were becoming more agitated and talking was proving to be more and more difficult.

\- What? – Steve asked surprised. They were definitely on different pages of the conversation. Their emotions were getting the best of them and the talk was slowly but surely spiraling out of control. Obviously she had misunderstood him so he needed to make his point clear.

\- Annabeth I don't _want_ you to leave. God! I don't want things to change between us either but I thought you'd be disgusted with me… - he trailed off, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts.

\- I'm not. How could you say that? And I don't want to leave – she said softly crying still – I don't want to leave.

After that Steve took a big breath a tried to slow down his heart rate. She didn't want to leave. She actually didn't want to leave! He felt relif hearing her words and he knew he needed to reassure her too because his heart was breaking for the hundredth time that week seeing the desperate look on her tear-filled eyes.

\- Listen Anna, I don't want you to go and I don't want things to change between us either. What we have is good. You're my sister and I love you and I'm not gonna let that idiot ruin what we have. We're family and it might take time, but we're gonna get through this together – he put a hand on her shoulder, resisting his fears that she might flinch away from him but, when she didn't, he invited her into his embrace – don't push me out, please.

She looked at him in the eyes and could see the truth behind his words. After everything she had gone through in her life, she had finally found a home and a family and she didn't want to lose that. She knew it would be hard, uncomfortable and awkward at times but if he was willing to not let this come between them, then so would she.

Eventually she let go of her legs and buried herself within his arms. Tears were still falling from her eyes and Steve's cheeks soon became damped by the trail of his own tears but she knew that they would be okay. He leaned back on the couch and brought her with him. They rested there until they both calmed down and their breathing evened out.

They both fell asleep. That night there were no nightmares. It was a peaceful one.

THE END

 **SO? What do you think? Did you like it?**

 **Please don't forget to leave a review with your comments about this chapter and maybe the story in general.**

 **Again I would like to thank everybody for waiting patiently while I figured out a way to write this story from top to bottom.**

 **Special thanks to Aquababy58 and Stephanie who were always willing to leave a truthful review at the end of every chapter!**

 **Now, I'm so excited about all the new projects that I have! I would really like for you to read them as well when I write and post them. There are still quite a few mysteries to solve like:**

 **1) How did Steve and Annabeth meet?**

 **2) How did she meet the team and became a part of it?**

 **3) How did they find out they were brother and sister?**

 **And the list goes on… I will try my best to write really interesting stories!**

 **Well… I guess that's left to say is THANK YOU and see you on the next story!**

 **REMEMBER:….. REVIEW!**


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